


SNK Heroines: Tournament of Dignity

by LordryuTJ



Category: Fatal Fury, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, King of Fighters, Metal Slug (Video Games), Samurai Spirits | Samurai Shodown (Video Games)
Genre: (Mainly) Women Only, Blood, Blood and Violence, Butt Slapping, Cunnilingus, F/F, F/M, Fights, Glory Hole, Hospitalization, Injury, Massage, Masturbation, Multi, Oral Sex, Peeping, Rape/Non-con Elements, SNK Fanservice, Shower Sex, Showers, Some Plot, Teasing, Tournaments, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2019-07-11 11:17:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 85,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15971228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordryuTJ/pseuds/LordryuTJ
Summary: On a day like no other, 32 ladies from the SNK syndicate are brought under one house to do part in battles that will test many factors to a potential 'Queen of Fighters': their mind, their motive, their talent, their sex appeal, but most of all – their absolute pride. This collection of battle-tested ladies are brought forth to a guild of people who want to see the very best, but in the end, only one can stand above all the rest...SPECIFIC TAGS:Chapter 11: Very brief bloodplayChapter 13: Dream sex / wet dreamChapter 17: Masturbation, oral sex (AshXShermie), implied MatureXViceChapter 23: Massage, butt slapping / worship (MaiXYuri)Chapter 26: Shower sharing, glory hole (ShermieXAoi)Chapter 27: Shower sex / non-con (B. JenetXLove Heart)





	1. The Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based loosely off the SNK Gals Fighters games – the original Gals Fighters from the Neo-Geo Pocket Color, and SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, which by now has been out for a few days (I started writing this a couple days before its release date here in the US). The story is completely of its own canon - timelines and deaths don't really mean much of anything due to the characters I'm including.

August turned into September, and summer was slowly fading into autumn. The sun gave life to the scenery, the grass and the trees, in this European landscape. The air was balanced perfectly between the lingering chill and the widespread heat, and the ambiance was beautiful and lively despite barely any life standing out in the outdoors.

In the aftermath of what had been going on in the world as the _King of Fighters_ tournaments picked up in pace over the past couple decades, something new was starting to build steam, something that could change how the world sees these tournaments, these showcases of combat.

It wasn't just going to be combat and violence for the sake of it. There was going to be a deeper meaning this time...

* * *

**France**

"Elisabeth?"

Elisabeth Blanctorche was staring down the half-empty cup of tea held in her hand. There was much on her shoulders with what she had planned for the future, but her attention was drifting off to elsewhere – many different thoughts bouncing around, with most being worrying. Ever since she started entering the _King of Fighters_ tournaments, the tide changed in her mind, for better in one way _and_ for worse for another.

The voice of another brought her eyes off of the drink and back onto the person sitting across from her at the little table set between them within the Blanctorche household.

Chizuru Kagura, a former KoF sponsor with a decade more experience in the tournament's past, was who she trusted the _most_ with helping her with arranging everything. She showed worry for the hesitation within the partner.

Elisabeth put the cup down calmly and spoke with a dry quietness. "I'm fine..."

The priestess knew there was much more brewing within Elisabeth's head. "I know it's... quite _difficult_ right now to be thinking everything through, but I don't think there's any chance to backtrack on everything – the invitations are likely being picked up as we speak."

Elisabeth shook her head as she ever so slightly leaned against the back of her seat, "It's not that – I've been meaning to put this together for a while... It's just..."

"It's about him, isn't it?"

Many thanks from Betty to Chizuru for not referring to him by name.

"It's been years," the priestess assured. "We've both had to go through some pain, but that was long ago... if I were you, I'd be thankful that things have changed for the better."

Elisabeth responded back after a light sigh, "And hopefully these things stay as they are for even longer."

Chizuru set down her tea after one more sip. "Now... as for the tournament..."

"We'll go ahead as planned," Elisabeth spoke with some regained certainty. The underlying fear on her mind still lingered, if barely at the moment. "We've both got everything riding on the success of this – as long as we avoid controversy, we'll break new ground."

Chizuru added, just to be sure of what they've got going. "And it could open up the gates for even further innovations in the tournament scene... is that right?"

"Exactly right, Miss Kagura." There was a slight sigh of relief from Elisabeth afterwards, as if she was about ready to get a temporary escape from the burden on her shoulders with her planned tournament on the horizon.


	2. A Gathering, Part One

"Unnff...! So hot out there..."

Athena Asamiya was disadvantaged under the sweltering heat – even with the window near her seat in the limo half-opened, the wind being blown in her direction akin to an electric fan was still getting somewhat overpowered by the 90-nearing-100 degree heat.

An unfortunate added bonus was the attire she decided to wear on her way to the rendezvous here in France – a red top and skirt, white undershirt and belt sash, and darkly-purple short shorts, a bit of a classic attire from some years ago when her career as an idol began to took off alongside her consistent attendance in the _King of Fighters_ tournaments.

In short, she grew up, and her attire clung onto her with even more tightness than when she first started wearing it. It wasn't a bother for her if the clothes began to show off a little more of her body, what with her skirt looking a bit shorter in comparison to her slowly ever-growing self – but on a hot day like this? Sweat City guaranteed...

The chauffeur behind the wheel announced, "We've arrived, Ms. Asamiya."

Athena smiled. "Thanks." The limo door by her side swung open as she made her exit.

Upon stepping out, her first glance was from up high and all the way down to ground level at the monumental mansion that was just a few feet from where she stood. Even what was behind her was just beautiful, with sleek green hills in the distance. It almost made up for the particularly strong heat – _almost_.

This was something she was very much interested in ever since she first received, and accepted, the invitation – the very same invitation, enveloped and held in her hand. No going back now.

Knocking on the front doors of the mansion, was soon greeted with the doors opening and an elderly man in a standard butler suit greeting her with a warm smile. "Welcome," he greeted.

Athena was a little hesitant with the polite-looking butler. "Uh... hello there, sir."

The butler said, "Miss Blanctorche will be with you once the rest of the participants arrive. Please wait patiently."

"Alright – thanks, sir..." She never knew Elisabeth on a personal level, but she had crossed paths with her a couple of times in the past during previous _King of Fighters_ tournaments, and had gotten a taste of the power that she carried. To know that the noblewoman went from a participant to a host of a tournament of her own, Athena was expecting a particularly high-class affair with no funny business... at least, as far as she knows.

For a good minute of calm silence, Athena hung around the foyer of the Blanctorche manor, taking notice of the moderate banquet spread out at the sides for anyone willing to grab a bite prior to the battles that will eventually ensue. Fruits, meats, candies and various drinks galore, and it all looked quite delectable for the most part. The idol couldn't help but partake in a little bit to pass the time – luckily, it wasn't going to be long before another arrival came around?

" _Athena?_ "

Athena glanced towards the front doors right before they closed shut, as she quickly took notice to the girl who called to her attention. From first glance, the young blonde that sprinted up to her didn't look like the most recognizable person on the block, but the brown/maroon colors across her attire was a good tell that it was someone that Athena recalled having partnered up with some time ago. "Malin?"

The purple-haired idol was quickly enveloped into a hug from her former 'High School Girls Team' teammate. "Holy crap, it's been so long!" Malin squealed over this interesting reunion.

Athena awkwardly chuckled as she slowly eked away from the embrace. "It hasn't been _that_ long... I see time's been nice on you."

Although Malin's attire was a somewhat similar case to Athena's, looking a bit small and tight on her, it looked like she could still make it work. "I could say the same to you; I'm surprised there weren't any fanboys following you the whole way here, they would've been hungry for a piece of you."

Athena stretched her leg back with a hand along her ankle. "It's kind of a breath of fresh air, actually. Happen to see anyone come around on the way here?"

Malin answered with what she knew, "Saw a couple other limos going around. The host lady's been going the extra mile bringing everyone here. Might be more coming in right about..." The doors behind creaked open again. "...now."

Well, it wasn't just one lady coming in, it was _two_ ; two from a classic trio of _King of Fighters_ ' past, in fact – the Kyokugenryu cutie, Yuri Sakazaki, and the KoF's original tit ninja, Mai Shiranui. For whatever reason, Yuri was riding piggy-back atop Mai on the way through the doors of the mansion, but she soon hopped off seconds later and waved. "Hey Athena!"

Athena waved back a bit, flattered with the recognition thus far, _right_ before finding herself very deep within Mai's bosom as the sparsely-clothed kunoichi brought her in for the pop idol's second ( _and likely not the last_ ) hug of the day. "How's Japan's finest magical sweetheart doing today?" Mai asked during the embrace.

Athena turned her head so that her mouth wasn't muffled out by Mai's breasts. "Oof... pretty good so far..." It wasn't long before she noticed there was a bit of a glaring absence outside of the two Women Fighters Team competitors that she had met with. "Is King not coming with you?"

"In a bit," Yuri answered. "She was talking with Ryo last we checked – if we're gonna have to be away from our boy-toys for the next couple days, we gotta at least be happy for the opportunity." She then glanced over to Malin, whose demeanor shifted towards unhappiness once Yuri came into the scene. "And from the looks of things, _you_ should be happy, too."

"I was. Then I realized I have to deal with you." Malin wasn't having any of it with Yuri – her rivalry with the Kyokugenryu dojo still remained after all these

Athena calmly advised the Kyokugenryu girl while she stepped away from Mai's sweet embrace, "Just let her be, Yuri; she's not really worth messing with right now."

Malin looked slightly offended. "Athena—"

But Athena halted the complaints from the High School Girls teammate before any fully came out. "Just save it for when the tournament starts, okay?"

Malin grumpily groaned in response, and quietly stepped off to the side to enjoy a bit of the banquet offered to the competitors. The front doors were heard opening again, meaning the entry of another competitor in the upcoming ladies-only tournament.

"So, this is where the tournament is taking place?"

There wasn't a lot to assume from the next competitor to arrive; with brownish-red hair, a yellow and white blouse and a green skirt with a red trim, it seemed as though she had just gotten off school and went straight for France – she also brought a suitcase along with her, presumably filled with supplies she may need.

"Oh, hello there," Athena greeted, "Miss... uhhh..."

"Kisarah. Kisarah Westfield," she answered. With a family originating from England, Kisarah spent her school days in Japan as an exchange student, and she was a rather popular student at that.

Yuri was a bit puzzled with the presence of the relative unknown in Kisarah. "You're a fighter?"

The England-born student responded. "I dabble. Been trying to impress a guy, it's a bit of a story, but I'm willing to impress."

"Well, we all have to start somewhere," said Athena, as she approached and politely brought Kisarah in for a handshake.

Kisarah giggled lightly. "The pleasure's all mine—"

The doors abruptly swung open right into Kisarah's back with no warning, making her stumble forwards into Athena – the two stumbled and fell to the ground together in a set of bodies getting knocked off balance in the arrival of the next competitor.

"Step aside, bitches – this cat's back on the prowl!" Donning her cleavage-presenting leather jacket and chaps that didn't leave a lot to the imagination, the cocky voice couldn't have come from anyone other than the silver-haired biker chick, Angel.

Already a bit rattled from the sudden intrusion of the newly-arrived former NESTS assassin, Kisarah said, "Rude much?"

Helping Kisarah and Athena up alongside Mai, Yuri was prompted to ask, "You knew what you were getting into, right?"

Angel giggled with a clear enjoyment of seeing others around her suffer even the slightest at her hands. Her focus mainly remained on the red-headed schoolgirl out of the whole bunch. "This the kind of competition they're giving me? Think it's going to be easy cruising from here..."

Athena attempted to keep up a calm attitude as she talked against the sadistic dame. "We were just trying to mingle, you know."

Angel scoffed, cracking her knuckles. "Pfft. Bitch, you know I don't have time to shoot the shit – you want me to take you all on right now?"

However, an intervention from another source came to interrupted what Angel considered fun – in the form of a sword being suddenly pointed against her throat. " _Be nice, Angel._ "

The presence of another couple NESTS alumni were soon felt, as the high-rank officer Diana had just entered the fray alongside a more notable face, the ice girl Kula Diamond.

Angel wasn't pleased to see the two, not even bothering to look at them directly. "You two... lemme guess, you're both in for this, too?"

" _Kula_ is," Diana responded, withdrawing her sword away from Angel's neck and gesturing to the ice-bender, who was enjoying her usual lollipop. "I'm just her plus-one – and it may be nice to see you fail again."

Angel purred deeply, like an unamused kitten. "Maybe this time I'll prove you wrong."

Kula responded on behalf of her partner, "No, you won't." Calm and innocent, but cold and confident as well.

Angel simply rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'll deal with you in the tournament." Then she walked off on her own merit, rudely shoving past Malin as she went past. As some of the other competitors quietly stayed off to the side to converse with each other, Malin ended up starting a bit of a discussion with the more benevolent almuni of NESTS. "That chick always been a bother with you girls?"

Diana answered. "For far too long."

Malin smiled. "Well, I'm an agent, too – if she and I happen to cross paths, I could take her down for you."

"Hehehe... you're sweet, but... I feel Kula will handle her well on her own."

Malin groaned with slight disappointment that she wasn't being taken up as a reasonable help. "Nothing ever comes my way, does it?" Then there was another knock on the door, and the young blonde girl took notice before most others. "Pfft. Well, if you don't need me to kick anyone's butt, I'll at least get the door for ya."

She left that old butler man at the door to keep standing by as she opened the tall and well-sculptured front doors... only to suddenly duck down, "Oh shi—!" as someone flung themselves across the sky and into the mansion.

Rolling into the center of the room and sparking much attention from most of the other ladies around, a with a red-scarf, blue-glove attire that screamed 'wannabe hero', and the first impression she gave certainly added to it. "Justice has arrived in the form of May Lee Jinju!"

Fanfare was fairly minimal – if anything, the other ladies hanging around just seemed caught off-guard by the bombastic arrival of the young Korean prospect.

At least Kula was intrigued. "Hmhmhm... I like her..."

Sitting on the ground after closely evading that dynamic entry, Malin had to ask, "What's _her_ deal?"

"She's quite the joyful spirit, isn't she?"

Compared to May Lee's arrival, the emergence of a fellow Team Korea lady was very much as normal and anti-climactic in comparison – even if the sultry strut of the woman named Luong was still enough to catch some eyes on her shapely legs. "Perhaps a bit _too_ joyful for the liking..."

Malin assumed, "So you're with her?"

"She needs someone to anchor her down – she's a bit too forward for her own good… but it's still cute to see her go on her own path..."

Just the serene and seductive tone maintained in the Vietnamese beauty's voice was enough to almost make Malin quiver under a lingering unsettledness – almost as if she was too much of a woman for her to handle.

"I'm... just gonna be over here," Malin awkwardly proclaimed after a brief hesitation, as she began to step away. Probably for the best – in a tournament where they were in the same brackets, it would likely be no contest on who could prove superior of the two.

But never mind that, as another competitor began to make her way into the building. Kula quickly took notice to the girl with ribbons in her twin-tailed hair and separated her mouth from the lollipop long enough to say a couple things. "Hello there. I'm Kula."

The girl accepted the outstretched glove of the ice girl for a little handshake. "Hotaru. I guess you're here to compete, too?"

Kula nodded. "Mmm-hmm. You seem nice... I'd hate to kill you."

Hotaru was a _little_ nervous with the ice-shaper's company – she wasn't one for the thrill of fighting, but more of just wanting to fulfill what was at the end of her path of discovery. "Uh... well... good luck to you, too?"

Further towards the back-end of the foyer, where most of the competitors hung around, Athena noticed the spiritual martial-artist from afar while she still conversed with some of the other KoF vets alongside her. " _The girl from the Maximum Mayhem tournament is here, too?_ " she thought. " _Between her, Kisarah, and some of the other girls, the competition is quite broad this time around._ "

Athena's optimism took a slightly puzzled turn, however, as an unfamiliar face burst through the doors, tripped and face-planted within the first second of her arrival. " _Perhaps a bit_ _TOO broad..._ "

The eleventh arrival may not have been the only instance of a competitor arriving in their own unique way so far, but it was enough for Athena to worry about as she approached the pink-haired girl in the somewhat cartoonish design with a helping hand. "Are you okay?"

The pinkette with a slight nosebleed from the face-plant rose to her knees in a daze, at first looking at the outstretched hand of Athena, and then looking up to her face. It was then what she realized she was dealing with, and she sprung back defensively, with a snarl like a feral cat. "Asamiya! At last, we meet!"

A million things immediately ran through Athena's mind as she attempted to grasp with what the hell that girl was talking about. If this was meant to be a fated encounter, it certainly fell on blind eyes for Athena. "How do you know my—do... do I even _know_ you?"

"Finally, the dream match everyone is looking forward to has come! Athena's 'Psycho powers', or Mignon's magic!" The pink-maned oddball wound up an arm like a windmill as she suddenly took a battle

Mai stepped in on Athena's side to prevent a hilarious disaster. "You must be delusional, honey. The tournament hasn't even started yet and you want to pick a fight _now?_ How desperate must you be for attention?"

Yuri joined the two. "Plus... if you think we're supposed to take you seriously; have you even looked at yourself before you came all the way out here?"

Mignon crossed her arms, holding enough of her own to avoid having a tantrum within _her first few minutes of being here_. "Hmph! The nerve of some people to doubt a Beart's power. Mignon will return in just a moment!" For some reason, she decided to just start walking back towards the door...

...but she wound up smacking her face again, not against the closed door, but rather into a much more cushiony surface – the heavy-loaded bosom of the next competitor. Her face was pretty much buried in the tits of another for an uncomfortably long time before she stumbled back and onto the ground, and what she saw look down on her was a bit of a scary sight for her.

The leather-bound femme fatale who entered had stared down with clear unamusement of the pink-haired witch's presence. "Sometimes it seems like I can't get away from you." Lien Neville had a bit of a past with Mignon, even if barely, due to the two being in the same tournament. At one point, they crossed paths, and from gathering the first impressions of the two in this scenario, it was clear who was the winner of that bout.

Lien's cold red eyes glaring down surprisingly silenced for a moment, as she just simply backed off before anything could take a turn for the worst.

No one else said a word as Lien took this brief time in the spotlight to warn the competition. "That goes for the rest of you; I'm not here to have fun. I'm here to spill blood."

The majority were a bit unsettled with the British assassin's short but effective warning – a couple others, like May Lee, looked simply angered by the feeling of evil stepping into the fray. Some like Luong, however, looked _fascinated_. Although she didn't have much of a smile to give the fellow femme fatale, Lien was a bit intrigued to find someone so emotionally unmoved. "Find something you like?"

"The world could use more ladies like us," said Luong. "Too many pretty girls with over-confidence around here."

It was _then_ that Lien bothered with a smile. If there was to be a fight between the two eventually when the tournament started, it would be an interesting encounter. "Something I can agree on. _I like that._ "

The doors opened for the umpteenth time, and Lien turned her head. The sight of a blue-haired fighter in a green military jumpsuit with a cold glare ahead caught her sight. Leona Heidern seemed ready to fight through whoever to accomplish the task at hand.

Lien spoke out, "I suppose you would like to step up for your peers?"

Leona simply responded, "I'm a woman on a mission. Stay out of my way, or try your luck."

"Oh, please – I wouldn't want to waste my energy before the tournament starts... but I hear _she_ would." Without warning, Lien grabbed Mignon by the arm and threw her in between the two serious ladies, much to the witch's unwillingness.

Immediately frozen with fear upon getting up close and personal with the Ikari agent, Mignon spoke with a shaky undertone in her words. "Y-you seem scary – I don't want to have to fight you unless I have to."

"It's okay, miss; we're just on a mission." Another person arrived at Leona's side – Fiolina Germi ( _simply Fio for short_ ), a relative associate to the Ikari team, seemed to have been enlisted to accompany Leona for the tournament. "Just run along now."

Mignon complied and scampered off as the military duo were granted allowance to pass by Lien and join the rest of the competitors in the middle of the foyer.

From the point of view of some of the more experienced _King of Fighters_ ladies, Athena, Yuri and Mai were stunned by the wide spread of interesting ladies pouring into the scene.

"So, Athena, tell me," Yuri asked, "is the competition looking a bit... _crazier_ than usual?

"I'm liking it," Mai added. "Sometimes it makes things more interesting."

Athena looked at the invitation that she kept to herself, hoping for the best. "Hopefully, the journey is well worth it."

Fourteen competitors have come around so far, and 32 are expected overall – the more the merrier, they say...


	3. A Gathering, Part Two

There were a few minutes between the last of the first 14 arrivals and who would come around next, a little bit of downtime before everything began to pick back up. Even then, the collection of women set on competing in this tournament are quite colorful, both in design and in personality – from the cute bruisers, to the serious competition, to the rest that couldn't be properly categorized. The set looked fairly stacked as it was, despite a few omissions at the moment, but there were 18 hopefuls left to discover.

For the most part, the talented fighters who showed up were on the more youthful side, with people like Kula, Athena and Mignon as clear examples, but the next few to arrive were somewhat older and, for the most part, more grizzled in competition. The first two were clear examples...

"One hell of a home."

"Her family has a lot of lineage – a lot of wealth came to this place..."

Blue Mary and Vanessa – two operatives of different paths but some common objectives to snuff out trouble if there was any nearby. Today, however, they were in for the spirit of the competition, and for a little bit of something to spice up life in some uneventful times.

Making their way through the doors, they were greeted with the sight of several more ladies around the grand hall, whether mingling, enjoying the banquet or simply preparing for the battles to come, it looked quite the busy prelude to a potentially more raucous tournament.

Vanessa noted, "A lot of young blood I'm seeing around the place."

Mary asked for assurance, lest the hypothetical come into play. "If we happen to get put against each other, may the best woman win, right?"

Vanessa responded. "Might as well." They then bumped fists, and split off towards different sides of the hall. Naturally, went for the drinks while did some stretching.

Mai took notice to the blonde detective that had just arrived. "So many favorites coming in, so little time to hang around before... well, you know."

"There's always time for a little bit of mingling," said Yuri. "What's wrong? A little homesick?"

It was clear of what Mai was truly worried about. "I'm hoping Andy's handling things on his own..."

Yuri gave the sex-symbol kunoichi a bit of a pat on the back. "It'll be fine – it's not like you're gonna be gone for any more than this week." However, the assurance came and went as someone else could be heard coming through the doors, and Yuri's eyes twinkled with happiness. "Whoa! Kiiiiing!"

Yes, it may have taken some time, but the classic Women Fighters Team was finally all back under one roof; King was donning her usual formal fighter's attire, with her jacket draped over her shoulder, and her eyes focused straight-on towards the karate girl as she was glomped in a surprisingly strong hug for such a lightweight fighter.

Yuri cheered, "You finally made it!" She showed quite some optimism towards the bartender – it was almost akin to a certain another one who fought under the Kyokugenryu style.

"I didn't miss anything, didn't I?" King asked – she expected to be at least a fairly late arrival in the bunch, tying up loose ends that would've been left alone if she went directly to ground-zero of this gathering from the get go.

As the teammates enjoyed the reunion, a couple more women passed by with little fanfare – one with a singular ribbon headband in her black hair, and another with a smooth but unique blueish-purple hair color. As a result of the quite casual get-up they both wore in order to blend in with this world better, it was hard at first to notice these heroes from ' _another world_ '.

Nakoruru, the younger, and most out of her timeline, of the two noticed the cuddling going on between Yuri and King. "It's nice to see people get together like this sometimes..."

Love Heart, the taller lady, surveyed the assortment of ladies ahead. "I have a feeling we would've been better off with our usual costumes on – it's starting to look like more of a Halloween party than usual."

"There's no need to worry about that – although I must admit, I _do_ prefer my traditional garb..."

The two fighters who were clearly away from their own worlds had proceeded towards a spot they could consider suitable for unwinding at – meanwhile, back with the two Women Fighters teammates that were busy with the reunion at the moment...

"Hey, uh, King?" Yuri let go of her embrace on King and pointed off to something behind the French bartender. "Check it out..."

The Kyokugen fighter noticed first the next arrival, one Alice Garnet Nakata – with her 'Fatal Fury' hat, that low hanging blouse that showed off a lot of her red brad, and a pair of shorts that were so short that they could barely be seen underneath the bottom end of the blouse, especially with that big red belt wrapped around her waist. It wasn't like she was begging for attention with the attire, considering she was the most recent fighter in the _King of Fighters_ tournaments to join the ever-evolving Women Fighters team.

"Well-well – welcome aboard, Alice," Mai greeted the blonde rookie. "Suppose you're here for your fighting fix?"

"I heard some of the big vets were coming around for this babe brawl," said Alice with an optimistic smile. "Nice to see all the competition hanging around – I could use the extra experience."

"Here's hoping you can handle it," King expected some great things from her (and Mai's) one-off partner, especially in a tournament that featured some oddities like Mignon and potentially dangerous encounters with someone of the likes of Lien, Leona or Angel.

Meanwhile, another competitor, the twenty-first so far, entered the mansion. Sporting a blue and white jacket over a simple black spandex jumpsuit, Tsugumi Sendo was a fairly unknown talent who was an exchange student in Southtown. As for her fighting style specialty – shoot wrestling combat.

She wasn't the only one who showed her face at this point of time – a girl with a more interesting look to her, with a theme of blue and white, Ai resided in, and she had quoted, 'the world of Neo-Geo', and was an agent of the Federation Government. You wouldn't really get that vibe from the fact that her eyes were practically glued to her technologically-obsolete Neo-Geo Pocket. At least she had decent taste for the relative retros.

Tsugumi noticed the intriguing-looking girl beside her. "Uh, you think they're going to be okay with you playing games around everyone?" There wasn't anything said about allowing or refusing portable game systems on the invitation, so nothing was for sure.

Ai shrugged as she walked ahead. "I hope so – this little box of pixel happiness is one of my favorites!" Aaand then she suddenly smacked into something and tumbled over... nothing? She quite legitimately stumbled over what could be assumed as air, but to her, it felt like she experienced a real-life glitch.

The priorities seemed somewhat odd in Ai's mind, as she paid no mind to the fact that she practically bumped into nothing – her handheld, on the other hand, took a bit of a tumble to the ground, and she quickly scrambled to pick it up...

...except it looked like the Neo-Geo handheld had just _floated_ up into the air, and met the happy-go-lucky agent at eye level. Ai grew simultaneously nervous and confused. "Uhhh..." She reached out to it... and then she suddenly experienced what felt like someone bopping her square in the face with a hard palm across the nose, with enough force to knock her on her butt.

Although most of the women who stood by paid little attention, some definitely noticed what was going on right now.

About 10 paces off to the side, Fio looked on with utter confusion. "...Did that girl just get punched by a ghost?"

Leona answered. "Could be a ghost – could just someone with the right technology."

Lien smirked. "Only one way to find out..." Out of the 22 who currently resided in this mansion, there was bound to be one who at least had a grasp of what might be going on over there.

The unseen anomaly looked to be juggling the Neo-Geo Pocket in one 'hand' now as Lien approached it from behind and grabbed at it with her right hand – the gauntlet on her wrist immediately buzzed with electricity that matched the green gems on her wrist, and the ghostly individual began to gain visibility as they were run through with the charge of electricity that shut down the cloak that hid them.

What sat alongside the dropped handheld ( _which Ai quickly scooped up while hoping it wasn't fried alongside the snatcher_ ) was an odd young girl on her knees, wearing a black and orange attire that made her loosely resemble a human honeybee, and a hairdo to match.

Lien crossed her arms and stared down with contempt. "Should've known you would come around, Nagase." Much like Mignon, Lien had dealt with the younger assassin in the one of the _Maximum Impact_ tournaments – for some reason, Lien had a tendency to come across people with some quite eccentric design.

Nagase's knees began to give out from the afterflow of electricity that showered her some seconds before, and she just simply rolled over onto her back and looked back up at her aggressor. "Fuck off, Lien."

Malin walked up next to Lien, more than a little confused. "Uhh... so how long has that girl been sitting around, all invisible and shit?"

Nagase retorted, "Long enough to know that the wannabe witch over there got a face full of air-bags."

Mignon was naturally offended in more ways than one, and thwomped with a big ol' boot down on the side of her head, nearly knocking the glasses off her head. Talk about instant retribution.

As Mignon retracted her foot away from the downed competitor's head, Kisarah stepped in to try and separate the commotion that was growing."I don't want to have to play peace-maker here, but you girls may want to have to save it for the tournament."

Nagase crawled backwards and towards the edge of the doorway behind her to try and recover her strength, all while cursing Lien's name under her breath. "Fuckin' bimbo..." She turned her head and saw Kula sitting close to her right, giggling. Nagase looked relatively offended, but she dismissed the laughter quickly. "Yeah yeah, keep laughing, Miss Freeze, I know I look like a dipshit right now."

Diana, standing just behind Kula, pointed ahead with her thin sword and advised, "To your left, sweetie."

Nagase turned her head towards the opposite way, and she went from looking like 'fuck right now' to 'fuck _everything_ ' when she took notice to the next person to arrive, and what looked to be the latest in the impromptu 'Most Ridiculous Looking Fighter' contest as an oddity with a dress that was a mess of green, pink and yellow and a big blonde mess of hair that looked like she got out of bed and didn't bother with any more than the hair on the front of her face.

The electrically charged Sylvie Paula Paula looked around the mansion while clinging about on the doors like they were the most fascinating part of the whole building. She didn't even bother to notice Nagase to the side for about ten seconds – when she _did_ , she sprung right over with smile that was equal parts goofy and downright _creepy_. "Bi-bi-bi! You here for the party, too?"

Nagase blinked with silent awe. "Just... don't look at me. You _and_ your extra eyes."

Thankfully, didn't object and just went off on her merry way around the mansion. However, the eccentric NESTS 'reject' caught the eye of another...

A student by the name of Arina Makihara had shown up – she just simply wanted to find a 'wonderful boyfriend', and was looking towards opportunities like this to gain recognition and hopefully find that 'Mr. Right'. Her look compared to others wasn't too out of the ordinary, mainly composed of a red/white open jacket and sneakers with a sleeveless blue jumpsuit underneath, but the most notable thing about her was the pair of bunny-like ears hanging down the back of her head – she wasn't exactly human, but she could be recognized as such since that was the only inhuman-looking part of her whole look, and even then, it almost looked like an extra accessory alongside the goggles worn across her forehead.

Naturally, those bunny ears attracted the eccentric Sylvie. "Oooh!" Then she clung onto them with both arms and ended up dragging down to the ground with a bit of a trip and fall.

The mostly-human girl struggled against the electromagnetic sideshow. "Hey! Get off me, you weirdo!"

Elsewhere in the room, Blue Mary and Vanessa looked on from a distance.

"Mary?"

"Yeah?"

Vanessa crossed her arms. "There's a whole lot more freaks out and bout – and you don't seem to be bothered by it."

Mary shrugged, lightly itching the back of her head. "Yeah, I've pretty much seen it all by this point."

Almost upon command, another person wanting in on the action was on the way in... flanked by an ugly bunch of red-banded roughnecks in blue-and-white striped shirts.

From there, Mary briefly added, "...Almost."

The leading lady, enticingly reclined on a small bed being carried by the out-of-place men, was brought down at center stage in this brief but particularly extravagant entrance – recognizable from the dark purple dress and the skull-and-bones laced onto it, yet another competitor straight from the long and prestigious cast of former _King of Fighters_ tournament entries had come to collect the attention of just about everyone else in the room.

"Thank you, my Knights," said the beautiful pirate, Bonne Jenet. "I'll take it from here."

"Good luck, boss!" The nameless representatives of the Lillien Knights grumbled out of sight.

Out of the Women Fighters teammates who stood by and looked on, Mai was the most amused with Jenet's arrival. "Even brought your own bed, huh? Looks like it'll fit you and your ego nicely."

Jenet giggled under a brief bit of breath. "Jealous?"

Mai smiled with a hint of passive-aggression. "Not at all."

Meanwhile, as the Lillien Knights piled through the open doors in their exit, there was another young lady scooching by.

There wasn't much to say about her besides that she looked like a female version of Kyo Kusanagi from during his high-school days, when the _King of Fighters_ tournament started becoming a yearly event. Except she wasn't. She was just an avid cosplayer named Kyoko, who was very much a fan of the flame-bringer and unfortunately lacked any of the same power. With a similar look to Kyo but a lack of flames to carry with her, she was closer to a female version of Shingo, if anything... except there was a possibility that even Shingo could've been considered superior to the cosplayer.

Another thing to mention was how much she was trying to hide her excitement once she saw the growing pack of infinitely more experienced ladies in the ring, covering her mouth mostly as her knees began to rattle. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmy _goooosh_..."

Another arrival had shown up around the same time, another one of the unknown generation – Moe Habana, a young Asian-American prospect with a pink heart outlined across the front of her lime-green top, and a sweater tied and wrapped around her waist.

Moe noticed the overwhelmed cosplayer from a first glance. "Uh, are you okay?

Kyoko shook with much anticipation. "I dunno – there's a lot to take in right now. There's so many cool people here!"

Moe glanced around the get-up of Kyoko before speaking up again. "...Nice cosplay, by the way. Big fan?"

"Yeah. _I want his babies._ "

 _...Yeeeaah_ , you don't really expect to hear something like that so casually at a time like this, especially about someone you know... although considering the cosplay and the slightly stalker-esque tone to that sentence alone, not quite as surprising as it was a bit creepy.

Moe was willing to try and get that little moment out of her brain by the end of the day. "I'm... just gonna... go straight ahead and— _watch out!_ " She glanced back out the still-open doors for a split-second and saw something that made her have to yank cosplayer Kyoko out of the way...

... _right_ as someone _suddenly_ sped in on a motorcycle past them, and screeched to a halt right in the middle of the mansion. With a pattern of deep red and black that was shared with the rider's leather apparel and helmet, it really stood out in opposition to the more muted colors across the main hall of the residence, and many eyes were on the newest arrival as she removed her helmet.

The dark-horse branch of the Kusanagi family tree, Aoi Kusanagi, was on the scene, and she surveyed the sizable line of competitors in the nearly-complete roster. " _Quite the cast we've got here,_ " she thought. " _This is gonna be good_."

Not a lot of reactions to go around, however. Malin was among the more clueless bunch, leaning over to whisper to Athena, "Uhhh, so I'm no seasoned fighter or whatever – is she supposed to be an important kind of girl in these tournaments? Seriously, I have _no_ idea who the hell she is."

"I know she's related to Kyo," Athena answered. "She hasn't been around for much in terms of the _KoF_ tournaments."

Something within Yuri made her realize and recall a little bit of Aoi's inclusion in some past memories. "Oh yeah – she was around a little during that whole Orochi biz. Think she's Kyo's cousin or somethin'?"

Naturally, 'Cosplayer' Kyoko was lured in by the quote-unquote 'intel' collected, pushing past Mai as she got right in Yuri's face. " _DidyousayshewasKyo'scousin?_ " Not like she just avoided getting run down by a motorcycle less than a minute ago...

The Kyokugenryu student got _really_ uncomfortable, _really_ fast. "Uhhhh..."

Then Kyoko impatiently pushed past the Women Fighters Team. "Doesn't matter—MOVE~!" The fanatic made a very short but quick sprint at the biker still seated on the sleek motorcycle...

...She barely made it within a few inches from contact with Aoi before getting clotheslined out of her shoes by a simple outstretched arm and splatting onto the ground behind the Kusanagi relative, rendered completely unconscious. To note, the first knockout of the tournament, and it hadn't even started yet!

" _Nice reflexes, Miss Kusanagi..._ " Aoi somewhat recognized the voice, but did not see a body that accompanied it. She

Then suddenly, something within her spirit burned with an irritating pain as she felt some grim energy creeping into the mansion underneath everyone and everything. She grimaced with pain soon enough as that energy brought something fierce into her head, and she began to get off her ride. "Dammit... _not again_..."

Aoi was the only one who heard that voice at first, but everyone noticed what was going on with her. Some people, namely Yuri, Moe and Kisarah around the room went to Aoi's as she nearly fell off the motorbike, and helped her stay on her feet.

"You okay?" Moe asked.

Yuri assured, "Don't worry, we got ya..."

A light, chilling wind blew past the whole room, and Athena's eyes loomed upwards towards the lights in the ceiling. "Oh no... I know this energy..."

May Lee jumped into the line of sight of the Psycho Soldier, already ready to kick ass. "Come out and face justice, you demons?"

" _Demons? Oh, aren't you cute..._ " That seductive but downright sinister voice sounded off again, and then May Lee suddenly felt something akin to someone from behind grabbing her by the shoulder, prompting her to turn around while maintaining her fighting stance.

Elsewhere in the main hall, Leona collapsed into a kneeling position as she felt the same pain that Aoi began to endure.

"Shit! Leona!" Fio immediately went to tend to her partner.

" _Don't worry about her – she's used to the pain..._ " Another disembodied voice, with the same undertones of evil intentions as the other, snuck across the militant representation.

The presence of evil amongst the living had also begun to affect Nakoruru, threatening to separate the link between her mind and the spirit of mother nature. "Nnngh... these spirits... are none like I'd imagine in this world..."

" _Are you really that surprised? We wouldn't miss this for the world..._ "

" _The damned shall never truly die – but you, you ALL may make great sacrifices one day..._ "

Two semi-transparent spirits of red began to creep into the physical realm – and they made their way around where Aoi stood with some others, in the center of the main hall. Once they settled into their spots around the Kusanagi relative while she continued to feel the lingering feeling of something foul in the world, their forms as red silhouettes began to fade out into something more recognizable.

It was then we had a glimpse of these spirits' true incarnations...

It was then, that the Hakkesshu made its presence known... Vice and Mature were out to make a statement, in a collective effort for who they worshipped.

"But for now... care to enlighten us on your power?" The charmingly ruthless Mature laid down the challenge in a calm offering.

Vice provided the contrast with her over-eagerness to maim if necessary. "We're oh-so willing to make you all _scream_ in agony!"

Aoi began to regain her composure as she recognized the two sadists around her. "I should've known. You two just never stay in the afterlife, do you?"

Someone giggled behind her. " _Don't you mean us three?_ " Then Aoi felt a sensation of being embraced from behind, although nothing was shown to be there. At least, not yet.

Something new emerged into reality, somewhat quick in emerging from whatever spiritual realm there may be compared to Vice and Mature, and it was even quicker to recognize the eye-hiding hairdo of the dancing Frenchwoman.

"It's so nice to see you again, Aoi," Shermie greeted as she continued to hug the Kusanagi rebel.

Aoi, on the other hand, wasn't the most thrilled. After all, it was thanks to Shermie that she was blessed / cursed with the Orochi pact, and the presence of her, along with the other ladies of Hakkesshu, was starting to get to her even more than before.

"Shermie, get off of her – this isn't the time to be reuniting with friends." Mature seemed particularly displeased with Shermie's inclusion, however, if the professionally frustrated tone of hers said anything.

Shermie complied, and let go of Aoi, who looked a bit annoyed with the clear implication of a trio's partnership between the three supposedly-deceased ladies. "So she's joining with you two for this little excursion, huh?"

"She's just a tag-along," Vice explained. "Wanted to see the real world again. I think it's annoying."

Now casually seated on Aoi's motorcycle, Shermie giggled and then responded. "I'm sure you both enjoy this as much as I do – don't try to hide it."

"We don't need to try hiding anything, this is simply a matter of business," Mature retorted. Her eyes then glanced across the rest of the roster that stood near the loyal ladies of Hakkesshu. "As for the rest of you – shall we cut the bullshit and see who here is willing to face their fears?" Her hand glew with the purple flames of Orochi's personal hellscape, as it seemed like she would rather begin burning through the competition than go through a tournament to take claim of true victory.

" _That's enough out of you..._ " Someone else clearly stood in opposition, shining a light against the sinful flames.

That someone else was the lady of the hour, brandishing her riding crop and carrying within her a bright soul that seemed ready to maintain the tournament, even when forces of evil tried to destroy it before it began. Standing at the top of the staircase that laid at the back-end of the foyer, Elisabeth kept her professional composure as she glanced down at the collection of ladies willing to fight for their right to be considered among the best in the world.

She seemed satisfied enough with what she had compiled for this tournament. "I see you've all made it on time. Now we can begin."


	4. The Rules and Regulations

The cast of competitors in the much-anticipated ladies-only tournament had finally been completed moments ago; they had all been led out from the banquet table and gathered into a smaller room that seemed more formal for the meeting to come. There was a noticeable organization at the table within the cast of competing ladies, split evenly between the most significant fighting females of the past ( _the classic Women Fighters team, Athena, the loyal ladies of Hakkesshu, Leona, Kula, etc._ ) and the less recognizable, newer generation of competitors ( _Lien, Nagase, Aoi Kusanagi, and so on..._ ). Most were properly seated at the table, while others didn't bother with sitting and simply stood patiently.

The only significant thing of notice in the room besides the big plain table set in the center, was the wall of small screens in the back-end. There wasn't any use trying to figure them out now, but it seemed inevitable it would be a topic of discussion once the one in charge eventually started the meeting on her arrival.

The rambling among the invited wasn't too significant across the room, as most tended to themselves. Some others, however, discussed extensively with others near them, mostly those who were close to them, and even more resorted to taunting others across the room.

Sat alongside most of the Women Fighters teammates of past and present, Yuri took notice of Malin, the rival that the Kyokugenryu Dojo never really wanted, attempting to provoke a reaction out of the karate girl by shaking and slapping her own ass towards her. The Sakazaki sister didn't want to show how unpleased she was with the bandana-wearing blonde's attempts to steal what was basically her trademark taunt.

Athena was seated right nearby, allowing Yuri a choice whisper towards the psycho-powered idol. "Was she _this_ much of a brat when she was teamed with you?"

Athena responded, recalling only slightly her time leading the one-off High School Girls team. "Hard to say – I only teamed with her once, and it was so long ago, too..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, 'tension' seemed like the key word to describe another situation simultaneously occurring, as Aoi kept her eyes locked towards a certain trio across the table, the ladies of Hakkesshu – she knew why her focus was all on them, but at the same time, she almost didn't know how to stop. The violet flames within her beckoned for something...

"Uh... are you okay?"

Aoi snapped out of what felt like a trance, darting her eyes to the right to meet with one of the more pure competitors, Hotaru.

"...I'm fine," Aoi assured.

"Doesn't seem like it," said Hotaru. "I can sense you're troubled. Your presence, it feels like it's... _burning._ "

Aoi wasn't quite the proudest to admit her past actions, as that rebellious past got her in the wrong direction of life. She looked back towards the other side of the table, and saw a noticeable difference in the scenery from when she last looked – smiling and casually waving at her general direction. Seemed friendly, but regardless, her presence continued to ache the flames within the Kusanagi relative. At this point, she (among some others) were starting to lose patience with waiting for things to start moving forward in this upcoming tournament.

Speak of the angel, and she shall appear.

The doors opened up again, welcoming Elisabeth again into the graces of the competitors. The hostess of the gathering had withdrawn her riding crop from her hands, hooked onto the side of her trousers. It wasn't necessary to put the crop to use, unless someone especially stood out as a bad egg during the proceedings of this week.

She started to speak to the people at full attention. "First things first... I want to express my appreciation to you all for accepting the invitations of which you were given over the past few days. In a world where the _King of Fighters_ tournament continues to come around, alongside many other affairs, it must be a bit difficult to keep up – but nonetheless, to everyone... welcome." The sole lady remaining of the Blanctorche family sat at the center of the large table that stretched across the 'meeting room crossed with a dining room' setting that settled.

Elisabeth spoke again, "I must admit, the persistence of everyone of those who have traveled so far for this is _quite_ impressive – but so you all know, it's going to take much more than persistence to get by in tournaments like this. Many of you have what it takes to stand out and take control..." She glanced to the veteran side of the bunch. "...but the rest still have a long way to go." She then turned to those representing the newer generation that was ready to make their mark. "I'm not afraid to admit my seasoned status, elder compared to most of you, but that's because I know more about what a lady needs when heading into the heart of battle, in tournaments like you've all likely experienced in; their motive to keep going when everything is stacked against them; their mentality and capability to find ideas within themselves to fight through the toughest situations; their ability to wow the world with fine talent and a unique look in order to stand out in the crowd; however, the most one can benefit from in their path to glory, is their _pride_. I know for sure most of you have a good understanding of what pride means to you – and some of you probably haven't figured it out yet."

After that last bit of a spiel, Elisabeth glanced across the room slowly, this time surveying the _whole_ span of competitors rather than a selective half between both sides of the table. "That's just a part of why I've arranged all of this," she said. "not in it for the mainstream coverage of an all, or for further fortunes than what I already have under the inheritance of my family bloodline... I just want to put you all to the test."

The competitors continued to keep their words within and stay quiet as Elisabeth continued… "There's a reason why it has whittled to only the 32 of you; I've wanted this tournament to be put together with proper knowledge and tradition on the mind. Forget what you expected from the tournaments you've been involved with in the past – there will be no teams to arrange, no handicaps to keep a handle on when faced with battle. All you will have is yourself and your power, one-on-one, against your opponent. As I've seen, there's already some bad blood brewing amongst some of you, and that might decide where you're placed to start with, and who your future opponents may be; brackets aren't a necessity for this tournament – the pairings in every match, from the first round, leading up to the end-game, will be of my decision."

The next subject to discuss in length regarding the tournament were the rules of these battles. "The battles you will find yourselves in will be akin to what you've expected – everything in your arsenal, even if it involves weapons or magic, will not be restricted – and battles will be decided under knockout or a surrender to the opposition. Outside forces are not allowed to be involved in the battle, due to the risk of it tampering with the tournament and potentially giving an unfair advantage – anyone who lets these forces assist them will be disqualified from the tournament and possibly punished further, depending on the size of the situation that comes out of it."

Elisabeth's eyes seemed to linger on some selective few as she spoke on the next ruling. "Lastly, and this is significantly important to the foundation of the tournament... in order to understand what I want in an honorable fighter, you must all abide by the commandment, ' _thou shalt not_ _ **kill**_ '... no exceptions."

The next subject of discussion came through as Elisabeth continued... "Now... as for your arrangements when it comes to the downtime before and during the tournament – there are many rooms to go around in this mansion, no room anymore different from the last, and you decide how you will spend your resting hours in between rounds." What came next from the hostess was not so much as an advisement as it seemed more like a warning. "However, I must be fully honest with you all – I know some of your are willing to do whatever to get an advantage, and I know that a significant few of you are _desperate_ to get your moment of triumph but if you think you'll be able to sneak by and disadvantage your opponents, think again."

What was not seen to the average eye was a pressed button on the underside of the desk, right where Elisabeth was seated, and the screens in the back of the room fulfilled their purpose – a projection of what seemed to be every room and hallway in the mansion came through, each one on a separate screen, making up about fifty different screens on that single wall.

An immediate explanation was necessary for this moment, and Elisabeth knew this. "Every corner of my home has been fitted with a camera to make sure that any underhanded tactic will be caught prior – any offenders will potentially face exile from the tournament. Don't worry, your privacy in _other_ circumstances won't be at risk – nothing will be broadcasted. This is a _private_ tourney, after all. I suggest you all understand the information given to you, regardless of your regular nature, so there will be no problems. Otherwise, the tournament will run as one will expect; the single-elimination setup will determine who's least worthy, while triumph will come to the last woman standing."

There was no doubt that some of the ladies around the room were willing to bring forth any questions about the rules, the tournament, any suspicions among other things, but any chance to do so had been pushed aside by what Elisabeth said to close the discussion. "If there are any objections or questions, please talk with me later – for now, I want to be sure you are all properly settled into your own arrangements. You are all dismissed for now – and please, do be careful."

* * *

"You did wonderfully out there."

"That isn't saying much – as a hostess to a meeting like that, I've been down this road before." Elisabeth was focused on the mirror of a small dressing room, making sure her attire stayed firmly adjusted between then and now. "My family taught me well, before everything changed."

"We _all_ had to start from somewhere." Chizuru stood at the half-opened door of the room, most visible to Elisabeth's eyes through the mirror that reflected. "Even _I_ had to deal with high hopes from the masses back in '96."

"Except this isn't necessarily a _King of Fighters_ tournament, now is it?" Elisabeth intended to dissipate any comparison between this tournament and the much more iconic counterpart that served as a semi-template.

Chizuru said, "Regardless of how prestigious a tournament like this could be, it's up to the hostess to help everyone – competitor or spectator – enjoy the spirit of the competition."

"I have a feeling it won't be that difficult – it's not like impending evil is breathing down my neck all the while..." The closest thing that could be considered on what Elisabeth said, were the ladies of Hakkesshu – but even then, with Orochi long gone, they're for the most part on even ground with the rest of the competition. "You came to me knowing that you may be needed in case someone, or something, tries to enact its discord against us. I feel this tournament will be much different."

"Hopefully you're right." Chizuru spoke with a slight frown. The priestess knew all too well the evils that crept through the world in the past almost-three decades.

Elisabeth adjusted the scarf resting along her chest before looking down from the mirror to adjust the sleeves of her shirt. "It's no matter to the both of us – the competitors are off to prepare for their impending battles, and all we have to worry about isn't the supernatural, but rather the natural conflicts that may spark between the competitors, behind our backs. You can trust me to get things done around here."

"I'll... be very thankful for that..." Chizuru's eyes lingered away from the hostess, as if something seemed to bother her from elsewhere, and she almost felt as if she wanted to head off on her own way for now.

Elisabeth certainly recognized something amiss on the priestess's side... "...It seems like now _you're_ the one starting to lose focus of the bigger picture, after you were so worried about me – is something of the matter?"

…

The noblewoman noticed the lack of a received answer, as she started to look up to the mirror. "...Miss Kagura?"

" _Afraid not..._ "

Elisabeth suddenly felt as if an arrow of suppressed memories attempted to pierce her through the back as soon as she recognized the completely different voice that answered back. She didn't want to look more towards the mirror because she knew this person really shouldn't be hanging around her during all of this, but she almost had no choice. Although at first there was a lack of someone at the slightly opened door behind her from what she saw, she still recognized a black-nailed hand wrapping around the doorway.

"Seems like Chizuru's still a little... _anxious_ around me. I feel as though I shouldn't be surprised."

Elisabeth recognized more and more of the red-clad 'friend' that leaned through the doorway slightly. This was not doing any favors towards her worries from earlier. "...Could you _not_ , Ash?"

The notorious Ash tsked, having expected a bit of pushback upon even a single visit. "After all this time, and you still act as if I'm haunting you. You really shouldn't be so tense around me all the time, Betty."

"And you really shouldn't be here right now." This was especially true considering the ladies-only situation of the tournament. This, combined with the long and aggravating past they had in the past plus-decade, had Elisabeth fighting the urge to use her riding crop for a serious beating on her old friend.

"Just..." Elisabeth turned and began to walk towards the door. "Just _leave me alone_."

Then the door slammed hard – would've probably taken part of Ash's arm clean off had he not moved it out of the way beforehand. His light grin faded to a grimace of slight frustration as he leaned and sat down against the wall next to the door and sighed, knowing things were far from smooth between him and 'Betty'. 'Forgive and forget' truly meant fuck all in this case.

Although that wasn't all that crept by the 'Sneering Blaze' to taunt for his being rejected, as the assorted chuckling from a certain sinister bunch was heard walking up to him.

"Well, well – look who also decided to show up," said Mature, who stood in front in the set of three between herself, Vice and Shermie, in representing Orochi's heralds of the past. "You trying to sneak into this tournament?"

"If so, you can't possibly be serious," Vice scoffed, adding onto her partner's teasing. "You may seem like a woman desperately trying to get out of this male body, but I'm afraid you still don't qualify."

Ash chuckled away the petty insults. "I get that a lot, don't I?" He began to stand back up. "I'm not here to compete, ladies. I just wanted to meet up with an old friend."

"At this point, calling Miss Blanctorche your _friend_ is debatable at best," Mature responded. "After what she dealt with from you, it's safe to say she doesn't want to be associated with you."

Vice added, "If you want to stick around and see us tear through all the other ladies in competition, that's fine – but don't get in our way unless you want to lose your life again."

Ash denies, "If you think I'm planning something, think again – I'm not in the mood to cause trouble. Besides... you talk about a 'ladies-only competition' here..." Something about that term stuck to him, with a taste of intrigue in his own little way. "I wasn't planning on sticking around for long but... I might be willing to be a spectator if Betty allows me."

"Get serious, kid – she'd let Shingo in to watch the action before she would let you in," joked Vice.

Ash smirked against the invisible dark aura that lingered. "I'll find a way. I always do. Moreover, does the dame in the back have anything to say to me as well?" For up to this moment, his focus in the conversation was with the secretaries of Orochi, but it was at this point that he started to recognize that the third of the bunch, the lovely Shermie, seemed to be looking longingly towards him.

"Ignore her," Mature demanded. "She's just a carry-on, doesn't mean all that much to us."

Vice sounded noticeably annoyed to admit, "She just _really_ wanted to see this world again, and we couldn't exactly afford to just say no."

Ash glared at the pink-clad beauty in the back-end. "That true, _madame_?"

Shermie nodded. "Yeah. Plus... you're kinda cute."

"Ignore that, too," Mature additionally demanded, before turning towards the rest of the hallway ahead. "This way, girls." The three began to make their way to whatever room concerned them next, leaving Ash to his lonesome again, just to look on.

" _I'd hate to leave them be like that,_ " he thought as he looked on at the trio, " _but I must admit, the view isn't all too bad._ " His focus was mostly on Shermie at this point – more notably, her admittedly curvy rear submerged under the nicely-trimmed skirt.

This was going to be an interesting week...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering, Ash is going to the only male character in this story – at least, the only male character I plan on including in this story – and yes, there will eventually be a couple scenes involving him that will warrant the rating of the story. It is mainly because his sort of effeminate look kinda matches decently with the ladies-only tournament going on, and he'd make the perfect sort of guy to be included on the side while things go down.
> 
> The next chapter (maybe the next couple) will mainly be about the competitors leading up to the beginning of the tournament; some will align themselves with others, some others will grow to hate each other, among other things. It may be a while before the next chapter comes, so stay tuned.


	5. Pre-Round Lunacy Pt. 1

"No, Malin, there's no supernatural conspiracy going on with this tournament..."

"You don't know that! You don't know if someone like that stone-bender guy or the pink creepo, is trying to pull a fast one over all of us while this is happening!"

Sometimes Athena regretted teaming up with Malin in the past, even if it was just _once_ in the _King of Fighters_ tournaments. The two clearly met on different wavelengths when it came to their personalities and their attitudes. It wasn't any more clear than what the young agent girl was thinking right here.

Athena brought a palm to her own face, clearly not up for this sort of crap. "Malin, you've only been in two tournaments – it's not a guarantee that some super-evil being is either actively involved in the behind-the-scenes politics of the tournament, or trying to ruin the host's plans of the tournament just for laughs."

Malin rolled her eyes. "I like to speculate things – it keeps my mind on edge, and sometimes you could use a little tension on the mind during a tournament. Keeps you on your toes, makes you want to win harder so you can find out the truth."

"Does your speculation also consider Yuri as a target of your hatred? Cause that's the only other thing that's been on your mind."

"It's not just her – her whole dojo is a load of shit! They keep saying I'm just a joke!"

In between the spats of discussion between the two, a knock on the door started ringing out to the room they shared. Athena continued, "It's not fun sometimes to actively try to bully someone over insults – these tournaments aren't just about squashing rivalries, it's about proving yourself as a true fighter."

"But—"

"Hold that thought, by the way, pretty sure someone's knocking," Athena acknowledged the knocks at the door, which grew slightly more irritated on the second round before the Psycho Soldier got up to answer it.

The door was opened and the two 'High School Girls' were met with a pair of hands carrying a pillar of luggage that almost stacked higher than the doorway, wobbling around as the person behind it tried to walk through carefully without messing something up.

Athena had to crane around a little bit to try and figure out who was trying to find a room to crash in, but she didn't have to crane far to figure it out once she noticed the curly pink hair. "Mignon? What the heck are you doing?"

Mignon sat down the obscene amount of carry-on in the center of the quarters, but not before nearly falling on her butt due to the cause-and-effect of the weight she was carrying on her hands alone. "Moving in."

Athena was baffled, to say the least. "Wha—with _me_?"

Malin was about ready to whip out a weapon to defuse the situation. "Want me to take care of this?

"No, I got this." Athena shooed her acquaintance out of the way. "Mignon, I may not know you all that well, but I'm pretty sure you hate me, for whatever reason – why do you want to share this room with me?"

Mignon's response was about what you'd expect from the witch-in-training. "Mignon knows a thing or two about strategy – how to get into the head of the enemy. What better way to figure out your rival than to share a space with them? You know the saying – 'know thy enemy, live with thy enemy'."

"I don't think that's how the saying works..."

Mignon giggled mischievously. "See? Your mind is crumbling already!" The way she was saying phrases like that, as a means to seem 'smart', sounded so stupid as a result. "Soon, you'll feel too out of your element to effectively use your psychic powers, and it'll be Mignon who has the last laugh!"

* * *

_**5 seconds later...** _

Mignon felt herself swiftly kicked out of the room, with her assorted belongings following suit, toppling out and around her body. Maybe saying that stuff out loud _wasn't_ a good idea.

"Eeeeyoowwwch!" She rubbed her booted and now-sore back, before turning looking towards the open door. "You may have won this time, Asamiya, but this isn't Mignon's last pa-" The door slammed shut on her, silencing her threats that were likely as empty as her mind.

"–rade..." Mignon's angered expression faded as she began to feel how much of a bad time she was starting to have. She laid down flat against the floor, staring to the hallway lights above as she tried to recollect what went wrong. Chances were she was going to blame anything but herself.

"Oh wow – look who's flat on her ass again..." Someone was bound to notice the witch during one of her low points, and of them all, it was the 'Queen Bee' Nagase who walked up and into the pinkette's skyward vision. "You just keep trying to kick life, and life just kicks back harder. You ever gonna learn, Beart?"

Mignon groaned angrily, "Mmmnnn! Would you back off, you pesky bee? Can't you see Mignon's having a moment!"

Nagase crouched down to get closer to the witch's face. "Or maybe Mignon needs to shut the fuck up once and a while – how about that, huh? I might be the type of girl to be loud in all sorts of ways, but you... you're _too_ loud. For anyone to handle."

"I'M NOT LOUD, _YOU'RE_ LOUD! I'LL STICK MY THUMB THROUGH YOUR EYE!" As she was hilariously flailing her arms around on the ground, it was obvious that Mignon was clearly not hearing herself right, in more ways than one, and it was just proving the young rebel ninja's point even further.

Nagase stifled a laugh, "Tch – if there's anything Lien and I can actually agree on, it's that we _both_ know you desperately need a reality check... and maybe you'll get one when the tournament starts." She stood back up, preparing to head off. "Oh, and one more thing..."

Suddenly, before she could fully process seeing it, Mignon abruptly felt one of Nagase's boots stamping down against the side of her face, before scraping by as she walked on and over her, talking the witch down one last time. "There. Now we're even..."

A light imprint of the underside of Nagase's shoe was left across the right side of Mignon's face – she felt the harsh ache across her head and tried to rub it away with one of her silky-gloved hands. It was far from the start of the tournament, and already she was getting treated like a dull ol' doormat by the other competitors, being walked over and left behind like a piece of trash. It didn't sit well with her, and it sure didn't seem like something that Lady Elisabeth would've appreciated. Would she tattle?

No... with the potential within, she'd make the haters learn one day, eventually.

Maybe.

Well, probably not.

Okay, _most likely_ not.

* * *

Sometimes, it was a benefit to be able to tip down some drinks, get some good battles in, and mingle with the rest of the bunch without having to deal with supernatural bullshit. In this case, Vanessa and Mary were coping well with the drinks provided within Elisabeth's mansion – not quite like the bars back in Southtown, but convenient nonetheless.

The redheaded boxer in Vanessa was a few shots of smooth alcohol in, achieving quite a state of relaxation as the drinks helped her mind unwind leading up to the tournament.

"I needed this so much," she sighed, a slight slur across her lips as she eyed her almost empty shot glass – her third shot of pure tequila on this night. "I'll admit – work can be such a hassle sometimes; we both deserved a little time to unwind, don't you think?"

"If that's how you want to put it – I kinda don't wanna stop you while you're having fun..." Mary lightly twirled her own half-empty glass around in her hand, while resting the elbow of her other arm against the bar table.

"If I get a couple more glasses down, I'd probably end up fighting _you_ if you tried."

"We probably will if 'Lis arranges it."

Vanessa giggled, imagining the possibility. "Maybe. Either way, it's all in good fun for us, right?"

Mary sounded slightly hesitant to respond as she glanced down the glass below her. "...Yeah."

Vanessa blinked a couple times before she started to recognize the reluctance in her fellow operative's tone. "Uh... you okay, Mary? You sound... off."

The choice of whether to deny or accept her worries to her partner lingered on the blonde for a moment, but she ultimately knew which direction was easier to handle between the two of them. "Well... I gotta admit, there's some... gripes, to say the least, about the tournament. Mainly, some of the other girls hanging around here."

Vanessa hummed vacantly for a little bit while the drink went further through her system, before admitting, "...Might be the liquor, but I'm having a little trouble seeing what you mean."

A little flustered, Mary didn't know how to make the deal even more understandable, especially for her buzzed tagalong. "C'mon, you and I both know who else is in this tournament: Angel, Jenet, the Hakkesshu ladies... and don't get me started on Lien – she's been a threat around the outer reaches of Southtown for so long, and this is probably the closest I feel we're getting to taking her down."

Vanessa shuffled her shoulders a little bit as things started to settle in within her mind. "Okay... starting to see your point now – whole bunch of bad girls hanging around in one place, and you think now's the time to tag 'em and take 'em down?"

"Wouldn't be an easy job, I'll admit," said Mary, "but it's worth a shot if we focus a little bit towards making sure those ladies don't get far."

"And if we both lose?" Vanessa brought up that possibility, "What then? You heard Elisabeth, she's got cameras all around and she isn't taking any exceptions if we try to fuck anyone over for the sake of being a mercenary and all that. It'd be _our_ asses on the spotlight, and you know how the lady uses that little crop of hers."

"Probably the best idea not to piss her off. Besides that, we don't know how we're going to be placed in the first round. We might either get set up with some easy pickings, or some tough-as-iron babes. There's risk and opportunity, but all that mostly matters now, is luck."

Vanessa leaned against the table – most likely to keep balance in case the alcohol took its toll. "When it comes to that, I wouldn't say we have all the luck in the world. It's not like we see any three-leaf clovers hanging around where we sit."

Mary corrected, " _Four_ -leaf – you're drunk."

"I've had like three shots..."

"Yeah, well, you picked some strong stuff." Mary started to get up from her seat, removing her green jacket and bringing it over her shoulder. "Come on. We should start training soon – could be tomorrow, or it could be later tonight, but we gotta get ready for the tournament when it starts.

As the blonde walked past, Vanessa began to look at her black-gloved hands, lightly rotating her wrists. She almost didn't want to admit, "It's been a while. Probably should work off the rust..."

Even in calmer times like this, there was still work to be done somewhere...

* * *

_**Meanwhile, across to the other side of the expansive mansion...** _

Similar to Mary and Vanessa's little mingle, Mai, King, and Yuri were partaking in their glasses of blissful commemoration towards the tournament that was yet to begin.

Yeah, nothing suited better for a little bit of celebration to the times ahead, for the three 'founding females' to the Women Fighters Team, like a bit of sweet alcohol? ...Well, on Mai and King's part, at least; Yuri was not only below consent age ( _of 20 years old in Japan_ ), but meant to be upholding the purity of the next generation of Kyokugenryu karate.

Wait, where were we? Oh, right, celebrations...

King seemed especially refreshed once the drink traveled straight down her throat. Considering she owned her own bar, and she fancied her own customized cocktails on top of that, this type of stuff was almost in her blood. "Didn't know how much I wanted a 'girls night out' type of deal like this, until it came right to us."

The former bouncer then glanced towards Yuri's way. "I'm sure you wanted this, too, right? I'm betting the testosterone at the dojo's a little too much to handle at times."

"I... wouldn't say that, exactly," Yuri started to respond, "but it's always great to have time with the girls whenever I can." One could tell that she had a hint of nervousness regarding the circumstances. "Just kinda crazy that it's _all_ _ladies_ in this tournament, I guess."

"Well... times are a-changing, Yuri." As she held her half-empty glass with a casual flair, King's focus shifted towards the underclothed kunoichi, the half-smile on her face and the fair amount of drink left in her glass compared to the others. "Something going on with you, Mai? You seem a little... occupied."

Mai glared down at her drink, having only taken a couple notable sips at the point. She chuckled awkwardly. "Sort of a _sake_ kind of girl, I guess."

King knew the Japanese beauty long enough to know it wasn't just the drink that was having the Japanese beauty a little lacking on the usual optimism. "Andy still on the mind?"

The hesitation on the response was _unpleasantly_ long. "...Maybe."

King simply shrugged, unsurprised. "Yeah, figured as much. When you tend to have a lover, they tend to be on the back of your mind whenever you travel. Speaking of..."

Yuri saw King's glance meet her again, and she knew why. "Don't look at me; Robert's got the dojo to hang around, keep him busy – nothing for me to worry about."

King said, "If this tournament were televised, you'd know he'd be rooting you on; same with Andy cheering on Mai."

"Yeah... it's not, though," said Mai. "A shame, too; a lot of people are gonna be missing out, and Elisabeth would've made a _lot_ of money off of this."

"I dunno if you think so, but to me, she kinda has this hipster vibe," said Yuri. "Isn't willing to make money, isn't in it for the mainstream, is really uptight about the rules, it seems like—"

King interrupted, "Yuri, I—I feel like you're railing onto some odd territory – you didn't binge on pot cookies before the trip, did you?"

Yuri stammered hard on her words, like someone who ignored a verbal wet-floor sign within her mind. "Wha—d-don't just say that out loud! There's cameras!"

King didn't show worry. "Elisabeth's got thirty ladies to focus on at a time for this tournament; I'd have a hard time believing she's got priorities."

"And if she does," Mai added, "we don't know if she has a zero-tolerance sort of thing towards even the simplest stuff."

Slowly feeling cornered into a little bit of intentionally-provoked paranoia, Yuri started itching her elbow. "You're getting me worried now – don't like it, not a bit."

"Not exactly denying that 'pot cookie' question, now are you?" King was right about to chuckle.

"I'm not confirming it, either!" The Sakazaki sister was growing beet-red with uneasiness. "I dunno if I want to trust you girls with anything – there's a good chance rumors could spread, especially if we say anything around... someone... _nearby_..."

Yuri's eyes inched further to the left as she spoke, and her words faded into a quiet, alert sense of finding danger nearby...

…and 'danger' was a fairly accurate word to describe the situation that was starting to form up. As Yuri sank down in her seat, Mai and King quickly noticed why – with a competitor as treacherous as Lien Neville being not too far from where the Women Fighters Team sat, the best tactic off the top of anyone's head would be to just avoid direct contact.

" _Shit._ " King's tone grew slightly hushed as she fully recognized from a distance. "Someone might be lookin' for trouble, looks like. Hard to tell, though..." She wasn't all too sure at the moment; regardless, the three close friends looked on towards the catsuit-clad assassin as she seemed to be tending time to her own thoughts, reclining against a wall with arms crossed.

Mai didn't lookparticularly scared by the presence of Lien, however – a near 180 from Yuri feeling scared shitless. Unlike King, the two certainly had a reason to recognize her. "Yeah... Yuri and I, we've... kinda had a bit of a past with this chick. A couple of tournaments on the side, a little bit of extra fun on the side."

"But she... she's _not fun_ to mess with," Yuri followed up, recognizing her opinion from experience.

Mai continued, "Heard she was raised to be a killer, taught not to feel like a normal lady. Cold-hearted bitch..." She couldn't help but smile a little bit, as she recalled the skill, "...but a hell of a fighter, I'll admit."

The details didn't exactly sour all that much on King – didn't sweeten, either. "Doesn't sound all that different from some of the fighters _I_ know." A lot of very dangerous competitors had come by her way (alongside Mai and Yuri), so she was a little desensitized to those kinds of competitors – then again, she didn't have as much of an attendance record in the _King of Fighters_ tournaments and any loosely-connected side-tourneys as her multiple-time partners. "A couple of tournaments, you say? Maybe I'd have to see it to believe it."

"Yeaaah, not surprised you'd think that," Mai said. "The deep part of Southtown that she hangs around in has a lot of people who are either really tough, really weird, or both – more than usual – but she's a _real_ special case; probably the most normal-looking babe over there, but in the times I've been there, she nearly won _twice_. Doesn't sound like a lot for us, but some people in the KOF tournament are lucky to have more than _one_ win if their name isn't Kyo."

King seemed quite fascinated by the amount of info being dumped on her. "For having a bit of 'extra fun' down there, you know a lot, don't you?"

Yuri whispered, "Yeah, just... _don't speak up too loud about it_. Chances are she doesn't like hearing people talk about all this – might think we're all talking crap behind her ba—"

" _You know I can hear everything you're saying, right? It's not like the ambiance in this place is helping in hiding your little chat..._ " The pupils of Yuri's eyes shrank significantly, as the three recognized the sense of fear spreading around and damn near silencing them.

Lien's eyes officially met the direction of where the classic 'Women Fighters' were seated, thus bringing them in her crosshair. _Worrying_ was just a simple word for them to describe the moment.

Yuri started to scurry up behind King. "You handle this, King; I don't wanna risk it..."

" _Might as well..._ " King thought, considering that the best idea might be to just try and play casual to diffuse the tension – no use really running away, it'd probably make it worse. "Uh, Lien, was it? If you're willing to just talk and have a few drinks, go ahead if you want."

Lien responded about as you'd expect. "Not in the mood to socialize – especially with _you_."

Well, there went that. King looked lightly unsettled as Lien approached a little closer – that offer was the only idea off the top of her head at the moment. "...Well, shit, what _do_ you want? Clearly you don't just sit by and brood by yourself for no reason."

"This place is a fucking maze," Lien bluntly explained. Her honesty about the location said enough for what a handful others might've also been thinking; a mansion like what all the competitors were in wasn't the most optimal locale for a tournament. "Just trying to find some calm and quiet before I wind up doing something that Blanctorche will make me regret."

"Didn't think of you as someone who wouldn't like what she was putting down," King said.

"It's not that I outright don't like her," Lien retorted. "I may grow to respect her for what she wants to arrange, but... I'd be a liar if I said I agreed with _all_ the rules she set out. You wouldn't know this, given this is likely the first time you've met me, but I demand honesty out of people – otherwise, they might not live long enough to figure out how they've wronged me."

The feeling of being intimidated was far from what crossed King's head. She seemed rather amused, actually. "Lien – if there's something I can easily be honest about, it's that you seem like you've got the right mind for your profession. Cold, calm but blunt, no need to show your anger on the surface – it's not the best mentality, but I think I can respect that."

Lien's hands suddenly slammed against the table, as she was ever so closer to the bartender. " _I've killed people._ Of course you should respect me – and so should your friends – because even if you don't, we aren't going to have a problem, are we?"

"I dunno... _are we_?" The conversation seemed to have taken a little bit of a turn, as Mai interjected herself, seating herself onto the table right in between King and Lien, leaving her uncomfortably up-close with the tightly-clothed assassin.

Lien was unamused with Mai stepping in for her friend. "Do you ever learn, Shiranui? You might make things worse for the three of you."

Mai kept a confident face as she responded. "King's got my back, and I got hers. I'm taking a risk, I know, but I've been doing it for a while, and now my beauty's gotten me worldwide popularity. Meanwhile, you're still hanging in the slums, cracking necks. Tell me, who here really deserves more respect?"

Lien almost felt an eyelid of hers twitch with seething frustration. "I don't _need_ to be world-reknown to do what I do best – if they don't respect me, they should fear me for what I could do to them. Otherwise, sod off, you stupid minx."

"You heard what Elisabeth said, right – ' _thou shalt not kill_ '. You might want to remember that, and calm down, before it gets you the boot." Mai seemed intent on teasing Lien with the prospect of a potential kill right on the spot. It was mainly meant to anger the fearsome British beauty, and in a way, it was working to a 'T'.

All that remained between the two contrasting beauties was the intense stare, feeling loosely connected to each other like a spark of furious lightning as they were inches from each others' faces. The only thing that kept them from being even closer were the impressive pairs of breasts between two, pressing against each other with near symmetry.

Ultimately, there was no physical contact between them before Lien started to back away, but before she did, she had one 'gift' to give before departing – a thimble of spit hawked towards the kunoichi, landing off-center onto the right cheek of her face.

"Vapid bitch." You could really tell Lien was struggling against the urge to clock Mai with one swift haymaker to the jaw, but she knew rules were rules, and she wasn't completely a fan of them.

It was back to just Mai, King and Yuri before long, but even that wasn't for that much longer, as Mai got off the table. "I think I'm gonna go head off for a little bit."

King asked, "Thinking of paying her back for that?"

Mai brought a hand against the saliva that was just aggressively projected onto her face. "No... but I heard it's not gonna be long before Elisabeth gets the tournament going. Might as well get some stretching in. Later, girls."

King silently waved goodbye to the kunoichi as she made her way out from the scene. Speaking of the tournament, it seemed to be the one thing left on her mind. "Looks like the competition might be tougher after all – don't you think so, Yuri?"

Her eyes glanced right towards the Kyokugenryu prospect, expecting a quick answer from her that hopefully followed her getting over the intimidation factor of what Lien brought to the table moments ago. However, she didn't hear anything in the sort of a quick answer, and she saw that Yuri was more focused on her own chest – not just on a mental factor, but she was feeling at herself with a look of slight sadness about what she had.

Guess the comparison to what Mai and Lien were carrying within their own chests, had Yuri feeling a little envious, and King could recognize it with a bit of a giggle. "Don't worry about it..."


	6. Pre-Round Lunacy Pt. 2

The overall atmosphere of the tournament's scenery seemed welcoming to the competitors mingling amongst one another in the prelude to them punching each other's faces in – not _everybody_ was partaking in such casual ideals, mostly due to circumstances of their personality (with some such as Lien being the sort of 'lone wolf' type) or because they'd want to spend more time honing their skills.

Aoi was none of the above at the moment.

Barely anyone would've known it (implying that she was anything other than an unknown compared to most of the rest), but the askew branch of the Kusanagi family tree was very deep within some mental conflict at the moment, and she needed a room to herself, to relax for a moment. Initially, she was just jumping into the tournament out of mild intrigue – without connection to the main line of _King of Fighters_ tournaments, it meant there was less to worry about in terms of getting in, no teams or whatever...

...but she was still unprepared for some of the ladies who came around along with her.

Mature, Vice, and Shermie: they were a few among some of the wickedness that had become all too familiar to her. Without putting into the foreground too much, too quickly – it all started because of her often rebellious mind.

In the midst of her mind holding a cloud of clear calmness, the door to the room creaked open, and that was enough to violently snap Aoi right out of her deepest inner thoughts. Although there was an initial feeling of spontaneous panic, it was with great relief that the person entering through wasn't anyone of the Hakkesshu.

It was the young strawberry-brunette with the heart-emblemed shirt, Moe – and she was caught with brief surprise. "Oh crap, sorry – didn't know there was someone already in here."

Aoi was a little flustered by her own mind at the moment, but words still found a way out of her mouth. "It's fine. I wasn't... uh, planning on sharing the room with somebody, but... it is what it is, I guess."

"...Yeah..." With a look befitting her feelings of awkwardness shared with the motorbiker, Moe set her backpack down. "Uhh, are you alright?"

Aoi responded, shoulders relaxed as her hands rested palms-flat on the bed, "I'm just... thinking."

"Seems like there's something really tough going on in your head. Or... maybe some _one_." Moe was quick to make some assumptions about what may be going through the other girl's head – wasn't necessarily all too good to start things off, but it was interesting to try.

It seemed as if Moe was about on-point with what Aoi was generally going through at the moment, however. "Yeah... pretty much. I'll be honest, though; I dunno if I should go into detail about it – you probably wouldn't understand."

Moe started to share a seat at the bed. "Maybe I would; you're Kyo's cousin, right?"

Aoi's eyes slightly widened. "...You know Kyo?"

"Long story." Moe was willing to spare her the verbal long-haul. "He didn't say a lot about you – just that you're a 'trouble child' of sorts."

"Well, I can't deny that. Kinda buried myself in the mud a little, and it left a permanent mark. It's... not entirely something I did to myself, more that I've wound up with some others. I've sure you saw what went down earlier ...You ever hear of the Hakkesshu?"

"Those scummy Orochi followers? From Kyo, yeah, I've heard a bit... you didn't happen to piss them off, did you?"

"Not exactly – wasn't a matter of me doing something to get them on my tail, but rather... something that linked me to them."

Moe was curiously intrigued by the wording of how Aoi said it. "Well, that's got me hooked onto your story already. How exactly did it all start?"

A little hesitant in recollecting the past, Aoi was starting to feel that, at this point, the two of them were in too deep with the conversation to leave anything of true importance out of mentioning. "It all started with family issues, believe it or not – I wasn't really on the best of terms with my brother. I ran away from home, and soon after, I bumped into one of them. I guess I just didn't want to share the same kind of flames as the rest of the family, so I asked for a little bit of a change-up."

Moe spoke up partway through. "Seems a little extreme, don't you think?"

"More than I expected," said Aoi. "Next thing I knew, I had flames of violet, and it wasn't just a fresh coat of paint on my powers – I had a little bit of the Orochi in me, same as them. It's been lingering in me ever since."

For a moment, Moe imagined the deep hole in her soul that would've formed had she gone through the same thing. To her, it may as well have been a literal demon within her. " _Jeez..._ I was steering clear of bad influences already – you might be helping me get further away from them."

A beat of silence sat between Moe and Aoi as they let it all soak in, before the former spoke up again. "There's something I'm kinda wondering, though..."

Aoi glanced ahead at Moe. "Hmm?"

"Did you ever... go crazy from it? Like some of the other guys who were infected with it?"

"...Surprisingly, no. Maybe it's because Orochi itself has been long gone. Maybe I'm still too pure to succumb to it. All I know is, if it ever did happen... I'd just want to be sure I wouldn't be alone, that there was someone at my side to try and help me out, even if it meant risking their lives."

Another momentary silence, slightly shorter than the last. Soon enough, as she started to think on it, Moe began to stand back up, off the bed. "Well, I can't promise all _that_ for you... and hopefully it doesn't come to that point. If it does, I'm sure someone would have your back." She adjusted the sweater wrapped around like a belt, around the waist of her skirt, and looked about ready to head out. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick, then maybe get a bit of stretching down, in case everything kicks off later tonight."

Before she completely left Aoi's sight, Moe stopped at the doorway and looked back one more time. "Don't think too hard on all that Orochi business – there's nothing worse than having your spirits low in a tournament like this."

She departed the room with a smile, and Aoi was left to herself once more. She laid down on the bed again, taking in the silence and self-held serenity for some time longer.

…

"You're _not_ alone..."

Aoi's head perked up again to recognize the voice sneaking into the room – at the doorway was yet another of the vast variety of competitors, her paleish blue easily recognizable from first sight.

"Leona?" Despite having never participated in one, was aware of many of the _King of Fighters_ ' competitors, the Ikari Warriors included. "...How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Enough to understand how you feel," Leona responded, one hand grasping the opposing arm. "The Orochi is embedded in me as well."

Aoi could almost recall having heard rumors about that connection between the Riot of the Blood and the step-daughter of Heidern. "So those rumors were true, huh? I've... heard a little bit about that..."

"You should take up on your friend's advice," Leona simply suggested. "We face the same fear of succumbing to our darkest side and never coming back. It pains me even to barely feel it when the presence looms by."

"Guess you know a lot more about it than I do," said Aoi. "I wouldn't imagine having to go through what you might've."

Leona suddenly spoke up, "I've tried to take my own life before – I didn't have to live this way, but I choose now to hold my own against what tries to pry me from my mind."

By Aoi's standards, the conversation took quite a turn, and her subtly terrified expression matched how she felt. "...I really didn't need to know all that."

"Just hope that you don't experience what I did." Leona chose then to close the conversation and walk off, leaving Aoi more than a bit shaken.

To say it was a _little_ pessimistic was an underplay.

* * *

Imagine the situation – jumping into a part of the world that contained so many unique snowflakes in one tight square of gathering, and still being as normal and straight-up powerless as you are.

That was what Kyoko, the little cosplayer in a big pond, was going through at the moment.

She spent the time, between being dismissed from hostess Elisabeth's meeting to now, wandering around the mansion just to see where her curiosity took her – and where it took her was a line of interesting little situations left available to her eyes by open doors.

"Stop, that's the wrong button!"

"Which one? – there's _two_!"

" _That_ one!"

One room was shared by the avid gamer-agent Ai and Leona's appointed partner Fio, who were trying to do a little bit of odd co-op with the former's Neo Geo Pocket – and clearly, was having a bit of struggle with this piece of technology that wasn't some sort of military weaponry. An odd pairing of girls to have in one go, safe to say.

As she passed by a couple more doors, mostly leading to empty rooms, Kyoko was startled as another one of the more odd characters of this whole arrangement poked themselves through the doorway – the electrical eccentric Sylvie Paula Paula, maintaining a terrifyingly wide smile on her face.

"Bibibi~! Are you Paula's roommate?"

With how the oddjob was presenting herself, with the insanely colorful getup and just passing herself off as a relative psycho upon the first impression, it was easy to see why Kyoko would rather walk away from her without a word to say than say anything at all.

The cosplayer certainly found the peak of oddness there, but it didn't prepare her for an awkward sight from one of the rooms ahead, as she soon witnessed a brief piece of what was probably meant to be a private training session involving a couple of the relatively more normal side of the cast...

...in the form of the two representing the martial art form of Taekwondo in a slightly suggestive position, where Luong had her long legs wrapped tightly around May Lee's body, in a body-scissors hold that threatened to crack a rib or two within the wannabe hero. May Lee noticed Kyoko at the doorway first, blushing slightly as she felt somewhat embarrassed to be seen like this. On the other hand, noticed the cosplayer and didn't seem to mind a bit.

After an awkward, longing stare, Kyoko grabbed for the knob of the half-open door. "...I'm just gonna close this." Then she made good on her word, closed the door and kept walking...

...where she immediately bumped into another body coming in the other direction. As she fell on her butt on the floor, she was prepared to look up and see someone hopefully as normal as she was.

She was probably wrong, as who she wound up bumping into were Nakoruru and Love Heart, the two most out-of-this-world girls of the competition, who were out of the casual wear they entered with and into their more normal attires – normal in relative to the timelines they originated from, at least.

Kyoko was caught a bit off-guard by the interesting attires of the two – however, she didn't exactly see 'two people stranded from their own dimensions'. "...Please tell me you two are cosplayers, too."

Love said, "How would you feel if we said 'no'?"

Kyoko got back up, feeling a little bit achy from the little fall. "I figured – this whole place is full of weirdos. I'm glad I get to be alongside so many of the women I recognize from the tournaments I've watch, but I was _not_ prepared for... well, _everything else_."

"I feel you probably shouldn't be surprised," said Nako. "From the time we've spent here, we've seen a lot of interesting people come and go. Some would say being unique is a necessity in this world."

Kyoko soon lamented, "Guess I'm just not unique enough to hang around this place."

"We were in the same kind of predicament as you, kid." Love said with assurance. "It was like being a fish out of water, or a bird out of the sky. You'll get used to it – especially if you handle yourself."

Abruptly, Kyoko felt the sensation of something flying up to the back of her head, like a bird. Except it was a bird – a hawk as a matter of fact. "Agh, what the fff—get off!" The cosplayer flailed around as the hawk hovered by, eventually finding a place on Nakoruru's shoulder.

"Speaking of birds..." said Love.

"Don't go wandering off like that, Mamahaha," Nakoruru told her pet. "Sorry about that –

Kyoko was making sure her vintage Kyo cosplay didn't get too rustled by the hawk's brief disturbance. "Girls, I don't think I'm gonna get used to this."

"If you can't handle it, know you won't have to deal with it for more than just this week," Love said, "or however long the hostess is considering keeping us."

Nakoruru then said, "Just try your best, is all we can say. We know you're not that much of a competitor, but who knows? Maybe the experience will help mold you into a better-defined type of person."

The two other-world competitors went on their merry way, leaving the costumed normie to herself.

"Uh, okay, bye..." Kyoko awkwardly said to the duo on their departing path.

Sure as hell would've benefited from a bit _more_ motivation than that, but she would have to make do. Hopefully no worries, despite no powers... _no problem ahead?_ She'd better have luck on her side, making it past Round 1.

* * *

The stench of alcohol was _much_ more apparent around here than anywhere else in the locale, and that was for a good reason.

The gorgeous and notorious Bonne Jenet usually spent her afternoon hours of her ruleless routine downing a few frothy mugs of cold, hard beer and on this day with the tournament coming up, it was no different.

On the other side of the table was the 'Fatal Cutie' Alice, who looked visibly intimidated – it might've been hidden jealousy from someone below the allowed drinking age, but more likely it was because Jenet had just slammed down a third refill of the stuff, and still seemed only relatively buzzed, as if she had only a couple shot glasses.

"Sooo..." Jenet leaned in a little closer as she started to chat up the fellow blonde. "I hear you're a friend of Terry's – is that right?"

Alice was a little hesitant to respond to the drunk pirate. "I'm, uh ...a big fan of him. Not quite a part of his circle of friends yet, but that's only cause I've only gotten to meet him some months ago at the last _KoF_." Alice let her fingers awkwardly linger around the outline of the table as "...Is there any reason why you're asking me about him? You didn't happen to have a bit of a one-off fling with him, did you?"

"Oh, if only..." Jenet sighed as if she was about to drift into a daydream. "He just seems like a total dreamboat – don't you think so?"

Alice blushed lightly. "Uhhh..."

Jenet had an elbow against the table, inching in a little closer. "C'mon, don't be shy. You're a fan for a reason, aren't you?"

Alice inched backwards in her chair. "L-look, I see what you mean – he's kind of a hot guy, but I don't think I'd be down to... you know... _bang_ him."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, _really._ Pretty sure he's probably got somebody else on the mind, rather than either of us."

"Hmm..." Jenet lightly moaned in disappointment. "Such a shame you wouldn't feel that way about him, like I do. I bet he'd be packing quite the todger."

"Yeah, I bet." Alice was only halfway in agreement – the other half would've rather she wasn't hearing that stuff.

"His boy-toy rookie isn't half bad as a looker, either, I'll admit," B. Jenet's eyes lingered to the clouds beyond the roof of the building. "If I could, I'd give half my treasures to maybe get a chance at a threesome with 'em. If I could, I'd probably bring you along, too!"

"Ah jeez..." Alice nervously tried to adjust her cap in a way to hide a bit more of her face.

Jenet chuckled a little towards Alice's major reluctance to the idea. "C'mon, honey, don't act like you can't handle a lil' bit of dirty talk goin' on around you. Just imagine it, though – some guy's meat in your puss, another's in your ass, it'd be loads of fun! Loads of cum out of them too, probably..."

By this point, Alice was starting to get out of her seat. "I think I'm gonna just go..."

Jenet asked, "Off to think about it somewhere private, I bet?"

"I think I'd rather _not_ think about it," Alice responded, making it clear she just wanted to step away from this conversation before it got _too_ mature for her to handle.

Jenet looked on as the Fatal Fury fangirl made her exit from the scene - the pirate crossed her legs and rested her face against a cupped hand... "Such a shame, too; you'd look so good getting DP'd..."


	7. Round 1: Moe Habana vs. Cosplayer Kyoko

The participants of this well-awaited private tournament had initially arranged around the start of the afternoon. 3 hours had passed in that time, giving everyone more than enough to talk amongst themselves ( _whether the banter was friendly or hostile was dependent on the characters_ ) or to prepare themselves for what they may have to face heading into the tourney.

By the mid-day, around 5 PM, all 32 of these ladies were gathered back into the foyer where they stood in their initial arrivals, as the hostess of the tournament was about to address what everyone was expecting to be how this tourney starts off.

With how the participants arranged themselves, it was clear to see some sorts of alliances hanging around – from the classic Women Fighters, to the Another World duo, to the ladies of Hakkesshu, and so on...

Yuri was among the few actively gathering their fighting energy with a bit of stretching and hopping about in place.

King was amused with the optimism beside her. "Calm yourself, Yuri. You don't even know where you've been placed yet."

Mai added, "Too much sugar in the system, kid?"

Yuri giggled excitedly. "Head in hard, jump out of it harder – that's the Sakazaki way, isn't it?"

" _'The Sakazaki Way' is shit, you know!_ " Detractors were not far from where Yuri stood. From across to the other side of the foyer, Malin was again trying to heckle the young karate girl. "You're not impressing anybody!"

"Ugh, shut up, you brat..." Lien was a few footsteps to the right of where Malin stood, leaning against the railing near the bottom of the central stairs. The youthful end of the spectrum of fighters was clearly starting to give her a headache – from Malin, to Nagase, to Mignon, and so on...

Elsewhere in the room, 'Cosplayer' Kyoko had a spot standing alongside the Another World duo that she bumped into some time earlier, Nako and Love, alongside a few more like Leona, Fio and Ai. Being next to such colorful characters was starting to get her both fascinated and nervous, given she was a powerless high-school girl who was a _huge_ fan of Kyo.

"You okay down there?" Aoi was standing on the left side of where Kyoko was crouching about, seeming a bit more composed after earlier. "You're getting all jittery again. Starting to worry us."

"Wouldn't _you_?" Kyoko responded, slightly distressed. "Look at these girls, this line-up is insane!"

"Yeah, you'll get used to it soon." Aoi gave the cosplayer a light pat on the shoulder. "We _all_ have to."

It only made Kyoko's nerves a slight worse, knowing she was just touched by a relative to Kyo. "I—uhhh... okaaay..." She may need to remind herself to never wash her shoulder. She'd definitely forget, for sure...

From up until now, it all felt like the world's most intriguing get-together – but with this moment, the prelude was reaching its end.

Heading down the stairs at a collected pace, Elisabeth garnered the attention of all participating parties in the room as she stood in the middle of it all. The presence alone of the tournament's hostess was enough to calm the murmuring around the room.

Interestingly enough, Chizuru followed not too far behind the noblewoman with composure to match – being somewhat important to the arrangement of the tournament, it was necessary for her to be included in the meeting, especially with what was going to be discussed. Some weren't even aware of the priestess' presence, while the more notable veterans of the bunch certainly recognized her from past experiences alone.

Elisabeth began, "I see you've all been treating yourselves well in the time you've been here. Know that your patience will be rewarded the only way possible – with opportunity." She then acknowledged her business partner, "I'm sure at least some of you are aware of Miss Kagura behind me – she is here for a reason. Being my first time arranging a fighting tournament of this scale, I found it necessary to collaborate with someone with experience in regards to a tournament. Together, we were intent on making sure all goes well."

Elisabeth continued. "Like I said, it was up to me and me alone to decide the matches, and so too shall the locations of these fights. Due to the expansive nature of this mansion, a fight can begin nearly anywhere in the building – over the coming hours, a 'combat zone' will be decided at random, and a pair of competitors will be asked to make their way towards it for their fight. All the other competitors will be able to watch, whether they are nearby when the fight begins, or if they're on the other side of this residence, as each of these 'combat zones' is fitted with one of the cameras I've made you aware of. However, all of you being here right now has more of a reason than you'd think. Starting within the minute, we _will_ have our first few matches in this very room, for all to witness, _right now_."

The silent anticipation of the fighters skyrocketed for the moment before called, "Moe Habana! Kyoko Haruna!" _*_

The two selected girls approached the center of the room. Moe seemed a little caught with surprise by the spontaneous call to the fight, but very much willing to go ahead, while Kyoko was just plain caught off-guard by being brought in for the _very first fight_ – much sooner than she expected. That, and being addressed by her full name didn't help her nerves at all.

* * *

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #1 **   
**Moe Habana vs. Cosplayer Kyoko**

Moe and Kyoko stood inches from each other, with Elisabeth standing in between them, her stoic stare lingering between the two.

"I know that the both of you haven't quite taken a full grasp at success at this point of your lives – for one of you, you hadn't yet gotten a chance of the sort until now," Elisabeth said. "This is your chance to prove yourselves to your peers – to the young and the experienced. Make of it what you will, as there's no going back. Your fight will begin on my command – are you ready?"

Opposing responses between the two set to fight.

First, Habana – "Yeah."

Then Kyoko – "No?"

Elisabeth took a few steps back to keep herself out of the warpath that was going to form – not that it was completely a benefit overall, since the outline of the impromptu 'combat zone' composed only of the others who spectated.

...

" **Begin!** "

The two girls on the metaphorical spotlight circled around the radius for a moment, a means to ease into the fight without going straight into a cacophony of flying fists.

Kyoko's stance was very on-the-spot, attempting to emulate the confident stance of Kyo. "Uhhh... should we talk a bit about this first?"

"Don't think everyone would like a war of _words_ ," Moe responded. "Just give it your all, girl."

If she wasn't so optimistic on the inside in front of so many notable fighters, the slightly unprepared Kyoko would've chosen 'flight' over 'fight'. She lunged in with a fast sprint, attempting her damnedest to make the first move count.

A clutched fist was thrown forward... and was caught right in one of Moe's hands. She shrugged and smirked a little, before she shoved Kyoko's hand aside and went beneath with a couple of light backfist jabs. The last jab of the bunch hovered higher, just upside the chin of the cosplayer, and knocking her back.

Okay, not off to a great start for Kyoko, but maybe her punches weren't the right of way towards a considerably experienced competitor, even if it was a lesser-known fighter like the heart-shirted Habana.

She ran forward again, almost as quick as last time, and stretched a leg out with intention to catch her opponent in the chest. again caught the strike before it struck, and she came in with a swinging kick of her own, bringing her leg crashing against Kyoko's midsection, her knee specifically getting a square target on the cosplayer's gut. Then there was a bit of a spin-around between the two before Moe pushed Kyoko away with a foot pushing against her back, and the cosplayer stumbled away.

Kyoko was already starting to get worried about herself, and her reception from the peers. However, seeing the competitors circling around for the fight, and then at Elisabeth and Chizuru, she couldn't find anything negative _or_ positive on anyone's face yet. The fight did _just_ start, so not much to find a first impression from.

Kyoko found more struggle finding an opening against Moe than she would've with calculus. Ultimately, it all culminated in her mind at 'fuck it', and she charged forward for a third time, this time not for a punch or a kick, but a straight-up football tackle.

Initially, it worked, as Kyoko clung herself around Moe's waist while dashing further forward. 'Initially' is the key word here, as Moe started to lift herself up and over Kyoko's shoulders. Ultimately, she managed to flip over behind the cosplayer, and grabbed her with an arm going around Kyoko's face. One heave-ho brought Kyoko over with a flip backwards, back to facing in front of Moe as she did a half-circle spin forwards and struck the cosplayer real hard with an elbow smash that sent her flying into a splatting thud on the floor.

As she fell to the floor, Kyoko swore she could see a little pile of cherry blossom laying at the side following that big strike from Moe. She was _more_ focused, however, on the offense she was taking and what she wasn't managed to connect with.

"Jeez, you're fast," said Kyoko. "What the heck kind of fighting style is that?"

Moe answered, "Jeet Kune Do. What's the matter, you never heard of it?"

Kyoko shook her head. "I dunno if you've figured it out, but I don't usually fight."

"You ever watch a Bruce Lee movie?"

"...Ohhhh, okay," Kyoko realized, "was that what that's called?"

"Don't get your hopes up; it's really hard to learn from just watching movies, you miss a lot of other important things."

Now was Habana's turn to charge in for some choice strikes. Knowing she had to go on defense for the moment had Kyoko in a bit of a panic, but as the fists went flying at her, she managed to avoid most of them – but what hit, hit _hard_ against her, but she still made it to the end of the sequence in a light stagger.

Moe brought Kyoko around the isolated radius of the makeshift 'combat zone' with a shoulder throw, and then continued to level the cosplayer with some kicks to the back. She eventually backed off to see just how much was left in Kyoko's tank after so much damage taken.

Short answer: not a lot.

Cosplayer Kyoko was growing _very_ exhausted from the beating she was taking, and everything was just plain against her favor with this fight, _although it's not like it would've been in her favor with anyone else, admittedly._

On the other hand, Moe seemed slightly demotivated with how things were going... "You know, I was kinda looking forward to what you could do for your first time fighting – I _might_ be a bit rude in saying this, but I feel like everyone's expectations weren't that high on you... and you somehow went below _that._ "

Kyoko wiped away the sweat beneath her headband. "Yeah – there's a reason for that."

"And that is?"

"I. Don't. Fight."

Moe was just confused now. She dropped her fighting stance fairly early in this conversation. "Then _why_ did you accept the invitation for this?"

Kyoko explained, "I thought it was just a big party! For just the ladies! I didn't know I was going to head into a _bloodsport_ or some shit!"

The general atmosphere of the fight started to gather impatience and confusion among the competitors watching. As for Elisabeth – she had a palm against her face, clearly not amused with the current situation before her.

Moe responded, "I'm pretty sure you would've gotten the gist that it was going to be a tournament of some kind if you heard at last half of what everyone was speculating around you."

Kyoko retorted, "You say that assuming I'm _not_ amazed and confused by the people around me. You're not trying to make me feel like a dumbass for jumping on the chance, are you?"

"You _are_ a dumbass!" Moe went straight for the jugular with that response. She didn't _have_ to be blunt about this, but she was starting to get irritated. "If you wanted to get in on this, you should've known what you were expecting!"

With words like that being thrown her way, Kyoko was starting to brew some motivation to fight _for real_ despite her inexperience.

"Alright. That's it. Now I'm going full force."

The cosplayer made a run for it once again, and Moe was less prepared than usual given the conversation that ensued over the past minute. The punches that came barreling in seemed significantly more rough, being generated from a scorned high-schooler's emotions piling out.

Kyoko's swinging punches seemed to loosely emulate her Kusanagi idol, and her gratuitous Japanese matched with it. " _'Bodi ga, amee ze!'_ " She actually managed to get a couple of those strikes to connect to Moe's mid-section, but Habana managed to avoid getting truly messed up by the attempted combos going in.

Although Moe was particularly surprised by the turn of events going on, she was also a bit impressed. She thought, " _Well, what do you know? Maybe you needed a bit of motivation to get that drive going..._ "

Moe started to counter-act with some punches of her own, but it evolved quickly into an all-out brawl that was impressively even, and the 'crowd' regained that energy from the atmosphere of the fight, that was lost some moments ago.

However, as expected, Moe gained the advantage after a particularly hard elbow to the chest of Kyoko. It was followed up quickly with a spinning punch; at that point, the cherry blossom petals that Kyoko believed she saw were all indeed real – but they weren't simply flower petals that magically emerged, but the sakura-themed aura of Moe Habana.

"Here's the clincher!" She declared with optimism, as she took the advantage with both hands, and started to enact the finale of the battle with what she had next.

With transparent petals of sakura surging through her fists, Moe started to spin like a helicopter as she comboed and juggled Kyoko across the room.

It culminated in a leaping spin that uppercutted Cosplayer Kyoko nearly the whole way up to the ceiling – 'the finale of the battle' seemed about right in terms of the move's power against the powerless cosplayer; as Kyoko dropped down onto her back, it was clear that she was close to unconscious before she hit the floor, from her eyes closed shut.

**WINNER: Moe Habana**

* * *

The winner of the battle landed gracefully from the spiraling finish, and everything stood in silence for a moment as the first battle of the tournament met a decisive end.

"How was that, ma'am?" Moe turned her head towards Elisabeth, welcoming criticism regarding that match. "We didn't disappoint too much with that match, did we?"

Reflecting on words said earlier, Elisabeth knew the expectations weren't particularly high for a fight involving someone that _doesn't_ fight. "I've seen odder bouts," she said, "but I'm glad it's out of the way now rather than later. It's far from your fault, anyways..."

As the noblewoman walked ahead, past Moe, she began to stand over the KO'd cosplayer. "Clearly you were not meant to be here – but you had the determination to at least try."

Elisabeth turned her head towards Chizuru. "Make sure she's comfortable when she comes to." The hostess' next focus was clear, as she then directly addressed the other competitors. "As for anyone who expected more – we _will_ have one more bout right here, right now."

The first participant of the next match was decided by the noblewoman fairly quickly. "Mignon Beart!"

The salmon-pink haired witch was tending to Cosplayer Kyoko on the ground when her attention turned towards Elisabeth. Her expression resembled a kitten being mesmerized by a cat toy which, considering how she modeled her 'well-crafted' fighting style, was an odd fit.

Mignon sprung up from her crouched position, meeting eye-to-eye with Elisabeth. "Oh my gosh – you're really giving Mignon her due?"

Elisabeth explained, "I've heard you're a prospect in white-mage magic – I'm interested in seeing it in person."

Being given the opportunity to showcase what she considered her best got Mignon very giddy. "Ohmygosh thankyouthankyouthankyou! You won't be disappointed!"

Hearing the cacophonous excitement and feeling the extremely tight embrace of the good witch around her body almost made Elisabeth very regretful for giving the young girl the spotlight at this starting phase of the tournaments. It also wasn't helping that Mignon was nearly burying her face front-and-center in Elisabeth's bosom during this hug, right in front of just about everyone else.

Thankfully, the hug wasn't for too much longer, as Mignon noticed what was yet to be addressed for her match and had to check her optimism at the door for a moment. "Wait... who's my opponent?"

Elisabeth kept her expression neutral as she adjusted her jacket. "If you're done expressing your gratitude to me, I'll gladly let you find out for yourself." She withdrew the riding crop from her side and handled it with precision as she scoped out the rest of the sizable roster with a slow and anticipating pace.

She eventually stopped on the one certain character of choice. "You."

Without hesitation, Mignon's opponent sprung out into the center of the room with a literally-electrical force trailing by her. The clownishly-colored Sylvie Paula Paula didn't need to wait long for her time to shine! "Hello-hello~!"

This was her first time meeting the electrokinetic oddity head-on, and already Mignon was expecting something _weird_ out of this matchup...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * 'Haruna', Cosplayer Kyoko's last name, is a reference to Haruna Ikezawa, the voice actress for Kyoko from when she first appeared as a striker in KOF 2000 - at least that's what the SNK wiki said, I don't know if she appeared elsewhere.


	8. Round 1: Mignon Beart vs. Sylvie Paula Paula

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #2   
** **Mignon Beart vs. Sylvie Paula Paula**

Well, this was an interesting turn-around; the first match was between two girls who were comparatively normal against most of the more personalized characters of the roster.

 _This_ match was between two young ladies with _too much_ personality and color to handle – more than half of it belonging to their costumes.

As already initially addressed, Mignon was feeling weirded out by the bizarre look of the singer / electricity aficionado / overall weirdo in Sylvie. It was hard to pick out just one individual factor in her opponent's attire; the patterns akin to clown vomit spread out on her skirt, the coat of fuzzy blonde hair spread down and about, and by god, the eye accessories – just those big plastic eyes hanging down over both ears, wide, miscolored, inanimate and forever staring, were just plain unsettling.

Although while Mignon was looking on at her opponent with a slight feeling of uncomfortableness deep in her stomach, Sylvie gandered back with maybe _too_ much intrigue. "Ooo~! That's a pretty bow-tie! Are you a magician?"

Mignon's gloved fists were half-clenched and loosening slightly as she hesitated to respond. "...Mignon _does_ do magic, if that's what you're wondering; do _you_ do magic, too?"

Sylvie giggled. "I've been known to provide some 'shock and awe' in the competition. Wanna find out what I mean?"

Mignon recognized the bits of eccentric electricity flowing through the opponent, and from that, she already felt she had an answer. However, her optimism to prove herself meant she had to focus, even if she had to bonk some sense into herself. "I've got to do this – for my ancestors, and for world peace!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Mignon began with an opportunistic run forward and a roaring squeal, "HRAAAAH~!" She looked to pounce with the ferocity of an angry cat to start things off – even though her footsteps were accompanied by some oddly cartoonish squeaks, she at least wanted to try her best to seem like a serious competitor.

However, this was followed up by her throwing herself forward and completely whiffing her pounce, smashing her face against the floor. Yikes.

In all fairness, she was locked in on Sylvie for the dive-in, but the NESTS reject seemed to just _hover_ up and out of her line of sight when it was too late to stop. It wasn't just an odd power of hers, however – Sylvie actually lifted herself up with the electricity flowing through her, and she was literally walking on lightning above everyone else for as long as she felt like it... which was for about four seconds before she dropped down.

"Yoo-hoo~! Over here!"

Thankfully, Mignon wasn't knocked out from her prat fall, as she got up on her knees and turned around. She only managed to get a light scrape on the side of her forehead and nothing else, and in terms of how she felt at the moment, she was a bit confused but still down to attack.

Mignon ran again and this time went for an attack that reached higher, jumping up for a stomp down – but Sylvie limboed down underneath it, her wide fluff of hair dragging along the floor and nearly tripping up the salmon-pink witch as she did a power-slide.

Sylvie kept her kneeling position and bent herself backwards to look up (and upside-down) at Mignon. "My eyeballs say you should see this stuff coming!"

Mignon stomped a squeaky foot against the floor and pointed forward, attempting to assert herself. "Those eyes may be creepy, but I know they're just for show!" She ran once again and dropped down with a sliding kick that, unsurprisingly, also missed, as Sylvie's electrokinetic aura lifted her with enough force to allow her to perfectly reach Mignon's shoulders and lift herself up and over, landing right behind the witch.

Sylvie was starting to cuddle Mignon from behind, even fiddling with the cute red bow that she acknowledged earlier. "Come on, aren't you having fun with this?"

Mignon flailed her arms in frustration. " _THIS ISN'T FUN!_ "

For a moment, the magical witch had to struggle with Sylvie piggybacking on her for half a minute – following that, Sylvie suddenly sprung off and unleashed the first few 'legitimate' strikes of the bout with some bicycle kicks to the back of Mignon's head!

Mignon just barely retained her footing from the attack as she had to turn back around, retaining her sight on the surreal opponent with an increasing feeling of pure frustration and anger. "Rrrgh! Stop your dodging and take your beating, coward!"

Sylvie giggled mischievously. "Paula's just too quick for little miss Mignon!"

The glowing orbs on Mignon's wrist-guards shone with aggression as her easily-irritable mentality opened out into the fight. "Mignon will slow you down!" She was ready to counteract with powers of her own, as she did a full spin and flung her arms forward. " _Divine wind spirit!_ "

Upon the shout, a geyser of wind was flung right at Sylvie, and it threatened to mess with her balance as she stumbled slightly backwards – however, the most it did was give her a bit of a stagger against the wind, and a little waft of coldness in the midst of a hot afternoon.

"B _r_ r _r_ r _r_ – good one," Overall, Sylvie was barely affected for the most part by the 'wind spirit', "but the lighting comes after the wind— _ahh!_ "

The wind returned again, a bit stronger this time as Mignon threw multitudes of the wind spirit's power – Sylvie was at a further inconvenience, trying to walk through it all while shielding herself with her arms.

The handful of competitors standing behind Paula Paula during all of this weren't fairing much better, as they felt themselves being forced back slightly by the increasing wind.

"Well... we can't say she doesn't know how to build some intense gale winds..." Athena slightly struggled to speak as she guarded the rough winds that inadvertently affected the audience.

The strips of fabric out the back of Yuri's headband flapped like a flag in the breeze. "Jeez, how come I've never heard of this girl? She's giving a whole lot of us a bit of trouble with this stuff!"

From the other side of the circle, Malin could be heard again, " _Sucks to be you, doesn't it?_ "

Eventually, after a minute of struggling through the almost-hurricane fighting against her, Sylvie was able to get close enough to Mignon, to be able to grab her by the wrists and halt the frustrating winds – at the same time, the kinetic energy formed around her into more electricity, and through the creepy plastic eyes, it spread out against the opposition. "Bibibibiiii~!"

The currents of electricity splashed onto Mignon, giving her an uncomfortable shock all around to the point where all she could do was purr in pain and endure. Over time, it seemed like the aura of electricity was _growing_ and encircling the pink-haired witch – not only that, but was she being lifted into the air?!

Sylvie quipped happily, "Let's give you a nice ride!"

And to be fair, it could be considered a 'nice ride', as Sylvie had her fun with the bubble she encased Mignon in, swiveling it all around the zone like a small but fierce roller-coaster – but it wasn't exactly comfortable for the witch in peril, as each time she tumbled around against the radius of the orb, she felt the uncomfortable currents of the electricity itch against her.

Yes, Sylvie was having _way_ too much fun with this, singing happily as she started holding the electric bubble in one hand while marching and twirling before the makeshift audience. It was... difficult to figure out whether she was the favorite of the match, as with both characters in the fight being oddities of different strokes, there was a lot to love and hate about both. For the most part, they all watched in intrigue.

Love Heart pondered the situation she was witnessing. "Gotta say – this girl is really good at taking control of a match."

Lien's arms were crossed as she was among the only few who were smiling up at Mignon's distress. "Good – maybe when she drops that little witch brat, she breaks a few bones."

Nakoruru was standing alongside Love, as usual, for this match. "Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"

Lien scoffed. "Like I give a shit." She knew more about Mignon from experience than about 90% of the other competitors.

At the moment, Sylvie was giving a thankful bow to the audience as she starting to wind down her little act of 'funsies'. "I'll be here all day for your entertainment, girls!" She was about to throw the electro-bubble down in a moment, but she started to recognize that it was quaking a little in the palm of her hand. Maybe it was growing unstable due to its size?

Or maybe it was because it was inexplicably overflowing with water – water called upon by the spirits that Mignon looked upon for her blessed witch powers. Sure, the witch was risking almost drowning herself, but she was going for what was a surprisingly smart move, trying to break free with anything in her arsenal that would prove useful.

And it succeeded! The electric mass bursted, and as the water spilled down atop Sylvie like a hard spurt of stormy weather, so did Mignon, as she came down at a freefall and her body slammed down onto Sylvie's with significant force.

Both women were down on the floor, and for a moment, they both seemed absolutely out of it...

...However, long before it could potentially be called as a draw, Mignon slowly rolled herself off of her opponent's body, holding her gut in a moaning pain. It didn't seem like she was going to get up by herself, so help was needed from a couple of the other competitors. "Mnnnngh, that hurt...!"

She'd be lucky not to have broken a rib – having another person break your fall was never going to feel like landing on a comfy pillow, even if Sylvie's hair seemed like otherwise.

Speaking of, the electrically-charged girl with the garish costume seemed to be in the twilight of a water-triggered malfunction. In short, it didn't seem like she was going to get back up for a little while.

In the eyes of the tournament's hostess, this was more than enough to call the match at that. "Well... I guess that settles it," said Elisabeth.

**Winner: Mignon Beart**

* * *

Given those involved in the match, there wasn't exactly a favorite to the majority going in – the initial impression of the two matched up to the minimum fanfare when it ended. In short, there were a few that hated this outcome, and even less who were truly positive about Mignon's win.

Nagase sighed in mild discontent. "Well, shit – the one time I want to see the clown win, it doesn't happen. Ah well, at least she'll be easy pickings for you, eh, Lien?" She gave Lien a pat on the back, a bit of quote-unquote 'good luck'.

It didn't budge the catsuited assassin's stoic expression at all. "After this tournament's over, I'm going to kill her."

Nagase shrugged. "Good luck with that."

Lien's death-glare turned. "And then _you_."

Then Nagase's hand stopped grazing the fellow assassin's back. "...Fair enough, but still, _fuck you._ "

As for the tournament as it currently stood following the first two fights, things seemed about ready to wind down for a little bit.

"We will proceed with the rest of the first-round matches in a few minutes," Elisabeth announced. "You will have a deadline of five minutes to reach the appointed combat zone when you're called to action. However, for now, you're dismissed."

The 30 other competitors slowly started to make their separate ways away from the foyer. Eventually, the room was nearly empty aside from Elisabeth, Chizuru, the KO'd Sylvie and the two who at this point had advanced to Round 2 – Moe Habana and Mignon Beart

Habana adjusted the sweater tied around her waist. "So, uh... I guess _maybe_ we'll meet next round?" She reached out for a handshake...

...and Mignon accepted eagerly. "Hmm, maybe." Her other arm was hanging low by her stomach, still a bit pained from the end of that match.

Standing in between the two, Elisabeth gave her thoughts on the matter. "I wouldn't necessarily guarantee it – but I'll allow you two to remain optimistic about it."

Moe made her way up the center staircase – on the other half, Mignon seemed like she was about to follow suit, but with the damage she accumulated, she went up a couple steps and then decided to just sit down in the middle, keeping the arm held around her gut.

Aside from that, there was something else fresh on her mind at the moment – the condition of her defeated opponent. Being someone who is all for creating a peaceful Earth, Mignon was one to be somewhat worrisome when seeing just about anyone look so broken and practically lifeless. Sylvie may have been a total psycho in a way, but in the end,

Mignon asked, "She's going to be okay, right?" Like Elisabeth said earlier in the day, killing a competitor was pretty much forbidden in the tournament. Even if it was a accident, something like that happening with her involvement had Mignon worried for not just her spot in the tourney, but herself in general.

Elisabeth assured, "She'll be fine. She's still breathing, I can tell." She turned to her right. "Miss Kagura, as you were – please make sure she recovers well."

"Right..." Chizuru nodded and started to tend to the loser of the match. The electric residue and the puddled water still remained as a consistent surrounding Sylvie's body, but it was nothing that could really hurt the priestess. She simply got a hold of Sylvie's arms and tried to carefully get her out of the way...

...but Sylvie's hands tightened in turn.

Well, the good news was that Sylvie was very much okay after how the match turned out on her half, but the bad news—well, maybe she was all _too_ okay if the revived aura of electricity said anything.

What started as relief at first from the three in witness slowly and gradually turned into worry and then into fear as Sylvie rose back to her feet like some sort of battery-charged zombie.

That twinkle in her eye was nothing to scoff at – and neither was her creepy-happy expression. "Surpr _iiiii_ ise~!"

Ah well, no need to worry – they'd just need to calm her down and make sure she didn't unleash anything from that shock-ball that was slowly getting bigger and bigger— _aw fuck._

It wasn't just a simple ball of energy meant to shock, – pun intended – it was the size of one of those big bouncy exercise balls. Unfortunately, it was probably going to do a lot more than bounce with minimal damage.

Chizuru had long before let go her grip on Sylvie and was too taken aback by the power being shown before her, and Mignon was on the brink of nearly pissing herself – the only one who seemed ready to stand their ground was Elisabeth, who looked like she was not going to have any of Sylvie's crazy bullshit today.

Elisabeth demanded, "Sylvie, behave yourself! The match is over – you _lost!_ "

Sylvie had spaced out pretty much everything around her in terms of listening, outside of the crackling of electricity that was music to her ears. She didn't get the memo in regards to her match against Mignon – to her, there probably _wasn't_ one to get, and she damn sure wasn't going to look around and see the lack of an audience when her focus was on 'finishing off the opponent'. She added to this incoming attack with a dissonant quip. "Think it's about time Paula gives this fight a grand finale!"

About time to mention that 'fight or flight' situation again, because 'flight' didn't seem like an option for Elisabeth when regardless of what she did next, it could prove less harm to the tournament if she decided to fight back than if she did nothing at all. She already had a surge of light coursing through her left arm – maybe that would work...

...but then she sensed something... something that was about to drop from above and behind.

"Watch out!" The noblewoman suddenly got a hold of Chizuru and Mignon with one arm draping around one of them, and they all got down low.

Sylvie was a little puzzled by the development but barely budged. Then she looked up and to the left – unfortunately for her, the big orb of electricity almost completely covered her view ahead, and all she could really make out was a growing fade of green mixing into the orb... and then it all quite literally blew up in her face.

The reject went flying across the room, smacking hard against the front doors and then sliding down until she was face-up on the floor, a mess of soot, excess electrokinetic energy and green embers spaced out on her hair, clothes and pretty much everywhere else. "This isn't fun anymore," Sylvie disappointedly moaned before she faded into near-unconsciousness again, hopefully for a while longer.

It was safe for certain that Elisabeth, Chizuru and Mignon were all thinking 'What the FUCK just happened?' at the moment – it was up for _someone_ to say something and shed some insight on what exactly happened... but it wasn't any of the three ladies who received the responsibility in doing so.

" _You should really keep a tight grip on your competitors, Betty..._ "

That feminine-except-not tone rang back into Elisabeth's head for the second ( _and most definitely NOT the last_ ) time today. She looked up alongside those beside her.

Ash, once again sharing the scene with the noblewoman, sat on the railing, at the top of the stairs, with a swirl of green flames held within his fingers. "Otherwise, you're gonna be dealing with a lot more of that." He let the flame disperse as he decided to exit the scene on that line. Not really any need to stick around for longer – there _was_ a tournament starting around him, and in this case, he was better off being a spectator.

Elisabeth's stare lingered as she saw her 'friend' leave; if she wasn't already feeling relieved that she and her peers weren't zapped to kingdom come, she would've followed him down and slapped some sense into him for even getting involved.

Chizuru didn't really have anything in terms of a comment to what just happened, so she set her priorities on better things after a hesitant catch of breath. "...I'll go tend to Sylvie. You two, just go on ahead."

"Might as well," Elisabeth said. "No point dealing with the headache now." She started to head up the stairs when she felt a tug on her jacket.

Mignon, sprawled against the stairs like a nervous kitten, seemed a little shook from the situation that transpired, and had questions. "Pardon me for asking, but... who _was_ that?"

"Just a friend." That was about as nicely as Elisabeth could put it at this stage of her relationship.

Mignon then commented, "He makes me uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it. He tends to do that."

Elisabeth then continued her saunter up to the upper floor of the mansion, to continue forward with the tournament.

Good for her to continue on with business in the sight of such interesting but unwarranted events. To her, there were certainly better things on the mind than dealing with degenerates.


	9. Round 1: Love Heart vs. Bonne Jenet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, it's kinda interesting, the match in this chapter, since Love Heart is from an IP that technically is no longer an SNK property since they sold Sky Love to some other company. Meh, she'll still count as an SNK character in my book since she was in Tag Team Frenzy (she's getting nixed from the artbook though, it looks like). In this instance though, it's kinda like how the ARIKA-made characters from Street Fighter EX could technically be considered Capcom characters at heart despite no longer being involved in Capcom stuff.
> 
> Eh, anyways, enjoy.

As planned, minutes following the past couple matches, the third bout of the round was arranged to take place within an expansive room, one that looked like it could work for a couples' dance get-together. It was _half_ -relevant to the analogy towards the tournament, at least...

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #3 **   
**Love Heart vs. Bonne Jenet**

The upcoming fight shared a common theme between the two ladies, both choosing the life of piracy and taking different directions with how they chose to live it.

B. Jenet, the seductive degenerate, let her eyes roam up and down on the raspberry-red apparel of the opponent. "Well-well... that's an interesting costume you got on you."

The freedom-fighter in Love Heart seemed a bit confused. "Costume?" She scoffed. "I don't know if you've heard, but I'm a captain in my world – all this isn't just for show, it's a sign of an important hero."

"Lovely," Jenet responded. "Well, in _this_ world, you're kind of an odd one out here."

Love retorted back, "Doesn't seem like you intend to conform to the usual standards, either – I would've been mistaken in thinking you were a sleazy escort."

Jenet took the insult lightly – if she had a dollar for every time someone implied she was 'sleazy' or an 'escort... well, she'd probably steal for more than what she would get since it wouldn't be enough. "You wouldn't exactly look out of place alongside a stripper pole either, honey."

The self-proclaimed 'queen' of the Lillien Knights was certainly stirring a mean pot against Love, and the sky protector was about ready to shut the blonde bombshell up in retaliation. "Alright – time to shut you up...!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Love took the early lead in the spar as she leveled Jenet with a hard knee to the gut, and continued to put the boots to the blonde maverick as a capitalization to the first attack. However, Jenet seemed ready to take some damage early on, and was okay with holding up defense and as she roughly shoved Love back to force some distance.

Jenet provoked Love's aggressive motive in the fight with a high-heel kick that threatened to pierce, while simultaneously giving heed to a bit of the distance game. This further escalated as Jenet unleashed some forceful winds, not unlike the previous bout of the tourney, with a fling of the wrist and had Love sliding a few feet further back.

Love grunted, "Nngh... these winds are strong..."

"You prefer the skies, right? You should be used to this kind of stuff!" Jenet taunted.

Love wasn't going to take this zone-out sitting down – she spiraled herself forward with a front flip finishing into her driving her heel down towards the floor, with intention to clonk B. Jenet right upside the head.

The British bombshell avoided, however, leaving Love to bring her foot against only the ground, with enough force to actually leave a crack in the flooring. Love attempted with another attack to follow up, leaping up into the air and spiraling back down with the force of a piercing arrow.

Jenet continued to escape the arsenal, however, by evading further backwards against the wall. Love Heart's rough landings continued to leave more damage to the floor than anything else, but she seemed determined to take down whatever opponent stood in her way, for the sake of the skies.

Jenet recognized the wall that she was gradually approaching her back against, and decided on a whim to use it to her advantage; she sprung herself up and off it, gliding over and handling Love, and then flipping her over with an underarm throw that brought them closer to the center of the wide and mostly-empty room. As a result, Love stumbled and nearly slammed herself face-first against the floor as she lost her footing off the up-and-over throw.

This left her occupied long enough for Jenet to continue taunting. "Maybe I'm just too quick for you, eh?"

After a moment of recovery, Love had her palms against the floor as she pushed herself back up, and it transitioned suddenly into a handspring front flip that was intended to drop down into an axe kick.

Keeping up the defense that she managed to hold well enough to remain relatively healthy throughout so far, Jenet braced the walloping kick with her arms in front of her face. Once again, it seemed like she was prepared for a good load of strikes.

She was definitely not prepared for _everything_ that Love had, however, as with the only sign heading into it being a brief glow of light, she panicked and evaded as she saw something slash towards her way. That evasion _may_ have been a bit too late, since as she stepped back, Jenet saw that there was a significant tear in her purple dress, right below the area of fabric around her breasts. Whatever the slashing attack was didn't draw any sort of a cut on the skin underneath, but it did give a slight bit of an underboob window, one that the Pirate Queen considered unwarranted.

Then she glanced up to Love, and took a lingering look at the sword glimmering in a golden aura that was resting in the opponent's hand. At that moment, Jenet lost focus on her anger towards the freedom fighter for trying to mess with her fashionable looks, and now she was starting to question what she got herself into. "Uhhhh..."

"Did that surprise you?" said Love Heart. "Good – now I know you aren't ready." She charged forward with the glowing blade in her hands raising up over her head for a strike that could potentially strike harder than the last.

"Oh _shit!_ " Jenet had to act quickly, or else get knocked down a notch.

The next few slashes from Love came swift and calculated, but Jenet just barely avoided them without a grazing cut on any more of her body. The dodging was all spontaneous for her, prompted only by the danger of the sword swinging against her.

After about six potential hits from Love's gilded broadsword thoroughly avoided, Jenet crouched low as she had figured out a bit of a plan on the fly. She didn't have much on her person ( _and she didn't necessarily wear all that much either_ ), but she needed to counter-act with _something_...

On Love's eventual seventh slash, it was actually blocked this time around – because Jenet had just taken off one of her high heels and had somehow halted the sword on the swing down.

Even with the use of part of her attire to successfully guard the incoming attack, it was still a struggle for Jenet to keep pushing against the weapon of the opposition. "I'm not going down like that! The Knights are counting on me to make them proud!"

Love said, "I've got allies of my own, too! They might not be watching down on me, but I wouldn't want to disappoint them, either!"

Jenet retorted back, "Well, you aren't exactly _meant_ to be here... and in the thick of it all... I'm... _honestly_ _running out of things to say_ , so instead, I'll just do this~!"

With the heel and the sword raised up sky-high above the two, Jenet thrust herself forward, her face gradually speeding towards Love Heart's up until the point where their lips suddenly crashed together. The last thing someone would expect from a fight would be a straight-up kiss between those fighters – even from that, it was clearly mind games against the sky-lover, as Love eventually sprung back after a few seconds of lip-lock, coming out of it with a face flushed out in a brief red blush, and then seconds after _that_ , a re-heeled foot catching her up the jaw.

Like mentioned here and there, Love Heart preferred the skies, but not in the way as she found herself now, being comboed into the air with spiralling, somewhat windy kicks from the blonde Brit in Bonne Jenet. The attack was nearly taken straight through the ceiling of the room, but took a full-stop in the air before touching it.

"Say good night, sweetie!" With a wink and a blowing smooch, Jenet unleashed a tangible projectile in the shape of a heart – ironically turning against it being a symbol of love, it was intended to give out one last good hit against the opponent.

On the other hand, Love still had her sword handled within one hand, and realized her one last chance to defend herself, take control and hopefully win the match. "Not just yet!" She slashed at what was in front of her, slicing the heart-shaped projectile in half and, at the same time, knocking Jenet off-guard for a chance to follow-up.

" _Ah bugger..._ " Jenet's thoughts were very clear once she felt the momentum trailing ahead of the slash smack her in the chest and leave her groggy in midair.

Love briefly twirled her sword before handling it in both her hands... " _Senkuu_..." Then she lunged forward through the air at a swift speed and didn't stop even as she passed her opponent, and her sword slashed past Jenet's body, " _Buster Sword!_ "

Gravity's absence came to an end as they both came down from the air; Love landed on her feet and her sword evaporated out of the fight, while Jenet landed with quite the opposite sort of precision, crashing down to the floor, nearly on her neck. The reckless blonde must've felt lucky that Love seemed to set her sword to 'stun', because otherwise the room would be a bit more of a mess and Jenet would be _much_ less alive ( _and Elisabeth wouldn't want that, now would she?_ ).

**WINNER: Love Heart**

* * *

B. Jenet was absolutely out of commission, laying face-down / ass-up on the floor ( _probably not for the first time_ ) and still somewhat conscious. Regardless of whether or not she was truly KO'd in the bout, however, there was no easy way to get up from that.

Love Heart stood over her defeated opponent. "I mean what I said – you just aren't ready to face someone like me, kid." She brought a foot to Jenet's side and shoved lightly to flip her over on her back.

Jenet groaned, "Ugh... for someone named 'Love', it doesn't seem like you're all up for it..."

Love retorted, "Those were mind games and you know it. You can't just pull something like that and expect it to give you the complete advantage."

Jenet chuckled with a weakened but still particularly cocky demeanor. "Pirates can do whatever the fuck they want. You oughta learn all that down here."

"Appreciate the suggestion," said Love, "but I think I'm fine doing what _I_ do best."

"Ugh, whatever."A pained B. Jenet rolled over on her side – she could really use the rest after that wild fight. "I need a drink. You buyin'?"

"Sorry – I don't share my time with troublesome ladies like you." Straightening her hat, Love Heart made it clear she was not one to align in any way with someone so significantly less heroic in their motives.

She made her leave from the room, the third to advance to the second round thus far, and Jenet was to herself soon enough, left the battered mess that she found herself becoming.

The competition was no joke, and it was full of surprises – some we've seen, and some to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: In the next match, Yuri goes about throwing her ass in someone's face like she usually does. Enough said.


	10. Round 1: Yuri Sakazaki vs. Arina Makihara

"Ugh."

"What? What's wrong?"

Malin was staring straight at the one of several sparsely-located TVs spread around the mansion – the match had ended a minute ago, and as it indicated the next matchup to happen within the coming minutes, there was only one of those two that was on her mind. "Yuri's up next."

Athena rolled her eyes; she was growing a little annoyed with her former one-off partner. "Seriously? You're still all bent up on her?"

"For a reason."

"That reason kinda doesn't give you the right to clown around her and her family's business all the time – to no avail, either..."

" _She's_ the one trying to clown on _me_ for how I fight! Thinks I'm some sort of coward or some crap..."

"What you do with your fighting style, it's all your own business, Malin. On the bright side, Ms. Blanctorche's letting you use them freely... or at least, as freely as we all hope you can without accidentally decapitating someone." 'Accidentally' being spoken loosely in this case, as Athena had _no_ idea of _how far_ the young rebel was willing to go for the W.

"Yeah... she thinks she knows what she's doing making weapons as legal as a shin kick, but behind that shitty little ascot, she was probably scared to try and tie me down." By this point, Malin was gazing up and down the razor-wire string of her 'deadly' and unorthadox yo-yo. "Total tool. Her friend on the other hand..."

"Which friend? You mean Chizuru?"

"No – _Ash_."

All Athena could do was tilt her head in confusion. "...he's not even here...?"

"Nah, I've seen him, hanging around on the sidelines," Malin responded. "You've seen the type of shit he could do, right? God _damn_ – I know a bad boy when I see one, and I fuckin' love 'em."

Athena was starting to feel even more lost for words than before, listening to Malin's open and proud thoughts. "...Huh. Well... I think I'd better get ready in case my match comes up soo—"

"Could you imagine getting with that guy on a more physical level?" Unfortunately for the fighting pop idol, Malin was gazing up into the ceiling, far too deep into her forming thoughts about her flame-flinging crush to stop it at that. "I'm thinkin' I'm a sucker for punishment, and I'd be all for being choked and pounded into submission – especially if he lets me choke myself on his nice, big co-"

"Malin!" When the blonde little rascal glanced back, she saw a bit of an irritated blush across Athena's face. "Please, just... keep your fantasies within, okay?"

Malin naturally took this as just Athena being unable to handle the matter of 'full penetration'. Ah well, she was starting to take her business elsewhere anyways... "Hmm, whatever. _Virgin._ "

The nerve of her to imply anything about her former partner, and herself by proxy – wasn't like there was anybody close enough to Malin to back up the implication that she had banged before Athena did. It was probably best for the Psycho Soldier to just take that word and the insult along with it, however, as she shrugged it off and put her focus on the TV screen near her.

Another battle was being set, and it was more than likely not one to be missed...

* * *

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #4   
** **Yuri Sakazaki vs. Arina Makihara**

As previously mentioned, it was the karate-tested prodigy child's time to shine. Yuri was getting in some last-minute stretches while waiting for her opponent, as the natural light beaming from the window to the side brought a bit of a glossy shimmer to her form-fitting leggings.

The scenery of selection for this bout was different from the wide room of the last, being somewhat narrower as it was at the corner end of a long hallway. This meant the walls were going to be a little bit more of a problem, since they were given only so much room to work with, but it was barely anything for the young ladies set for action.

Yuri only stopped her little patient exercise when she heard the panting of a weary girl a few feet from where she stood.

Her opponent, the bunny-eared Arina, may have spent a bit too much of her starting stamina just getting to the zone of battle. "I don't think I can get used to this," she said.

"Not one to travel around all that much, huh?" Yuri asked.

Arina responded, "I'm not someone to get there _on time_... but I'm here now! Let's do this!"

"Got my warm-ups out of the way anyways," Yuri said as her outstretched leg slid down from the windowsill. "Time to whoop some butt!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Both girls set out on the distance game, only drawing closer to each other with slight and careful footsteps. At points during the starting minute of the bout, Yuri stretched a leg out towards Arina, almost akin to a kick without the striking force, to try and urge the less-experienced towards some attempting blows of her own.

It didn't lead to much, however, until when they started to link up with what was basically half of a test-of-strength – hand in hand, glove in glove, regardless of the experience difference, it was all on even standing to start off. They eventually broke away and clashed the back of their hands against each other, and Arina was the first to strike individually with a swinging kick that swiped high and missed as Yuri ducked. Yuri went for a kick of her own, a back-spin roundhouse that was dodged just as easily by her opponent.

When Yuri chose to lunge forward, Arina found herself an evasive action and hopped over, sneaking up low on the Kyokugen student with a sliding kick to the ankle. Yuri lost her balance rather quickly off that choice strike she took to the back of her foot, falling right on her back and unintentionally allowing Arina a chance to drop a leg down against her face.

Yuri did her best to maintain high momentum on her offense, kipping up to her feet mere seconds later and retaliating with a sweep kick that Arina just barely managed to avoid with a light hop that left her struggling slightly with her balance. Yuri was willing to take up any opportunity that was even only slightly open, as she threw a fist forward against Arina's side, and then delivered two more direct punches to her chest and then a kick slightly higher up against her face.

Arina stumbled onto her knees, having to adjust the goggles on her head after they were left crooked by the kick she just took.

"Might want to keep a close eye on how you land," Yuri suggested. Almost seemed like a taunting provocation from how she sounded, though.

Yuri then leapt back into close quarters with a front flip into a dive-kick that barely connected when Arina rolled back a slight. The bunny-girl quickly got back to her feet and lured Yuri into a brief combo, starting with a couple spinning kicks and then sending the karate girl stumbling with some hip-to-hip bumpage.

"Taste the stars!" With a fling of her index finger, Arina threw an appropriately star-shaped projectile at her opponent.

Not quite the fastest projectile, however, as Yuri had time, even if not much, to counter it in more ways than one. " _Saiha_!" She brought her palms forward, with energy forming into an orb that blocked out Arina's projectile. She wound back one arm from the power still held in her other hand, and then thrusted it forward like an open-handed punch.

" _Ko-Ou Ken_!" Yuri's energy projectile flew forward at a slightly faster speed than what was flung at her, and Arina had to block it with her arms, to some degree of defensive success. Arina stumbled against the window behind her, and glanced on for a moment longer as Yuri ran forward.

"How about you taste _this_!?" Yuri shouted as she faced backwards and flung herself forwards – her rear stuck out in front, she was intending to ram into her opposition hard with one of her most intriguing maneuvers.

Arina was kind of in a panic at the moment, and after some seconds to think, she decided on a whim to fight booty with booty and hurled herself forward in an identical fashion.

In a nearly symmetrical clash, Arina and Yuri smashed into each other, ass to ass, and a shockwave of relative pain sprung between them, almost seeming like an actual shockwave quaking in the hall. They fell to the ground together, sharing a literal case of 'butt-hurt' as they laid down inches from each other and writhed momentarily. They'd both better be lucky neither of them came out of that clash with a shattered tailbone.

Yuri grunted with gritted teeth as she started to roll over onto her stomach. "Ungh... you do the butt-bump, too...?"

Arina had one eye squinted shut from the ache as she similarly rolled over in her recovery. "Yeah... didn't know _you_ did it, too..."

Two butts thought alike in this match – and that was quite the way to put it, wasn't it?

As the two slowly got back to their feet, Arina tried to get the quick takedown on Yuri, clinging onto the Kyokugen student's legs for dear life. Yuri shook off the attempted low-down assault and shoved off the bunny-eared girl before bringing down an overhead kick upside Arina's head and then shoving her against a wall with a follow-up kick to the gut.

Although she was sliding down the wall in a fatigued struggle, Arina was head-strong and full of that sweet firey valor. She kept Yuri back with a couple kicks when she tried to get up close with her, and completely prepared to bring as much of her fighting spirit as she had left after the struggles that ensued up to this moment in the fight.

With a sort of orange aura trailing by her ( _an indication of the Waku ball power she was associated with_ ), Arina hopped ahead and sent herself forward with a firey lunge at Yuri... who quickly dodged and left Arina to smash herself into the wall, and nearly through that window. Well, that certainly went nowhere for her, now did it?

It was about to go even further away from what she hoped for, as Yuri was more than ready to put an end to the fight real quick. " _Haoh..._ " Eager to dump a heavy amount of her fighting energy on something that was pretty much guaranteed to bring the pain, charged and held her strength in her hands... " _...Shoukou Ken!_ " ...and she fired away, unleashing a much heavier version of the projectile she tossed moments before.

Arina was left with her face against a wall from the high-risk move she missed, and she was unable to see what was coming after her following that. Just as she started to back herself away, the large fireball that Yuri threw sent Arina crashing back against that wall...

...and then it all came crumbling around her, as she found herself falling _through_ as the wall broke through and sent her flying out of the building.

The Haoh Shoukou Ken certainly proved effective; _too_ effective, it seemed like, as Yuri looked on with completely genuine shock at the wall that was no longer there – it and the window were reduced to debris, while Arina was pretty much knocked out of the scene, and at this point, the tournament as a whole.

**WINNER: Yuri Sakazaki**

* * *

Yuri may have gotten a decisive – and rather destructive – win, but it wasn't quite what she expected. That and she _may_ have totally fucked up in many ways more than one, considering that she may have not only badly hurt someone that she doesn't know, but also commit destruction of property against _the hostess of this tournament_.

She walked up to the open hole in the hallway and glanced down. "Uh... are you okay?"

Thankfully, there was a lot of grass and some bushes where the hole was broken through in the mansion, so Arina had _some_ cushioning on the way down. Although drizzled with scattered debris and shattered glass, she was still capable of giving a dazed thumbs-up.

"Ahh, thank god," Yuri sighed, half-relieved, while the other half of her was still pretty scared about being potentially penalized. Before it got too awkward to stick around, she slowly scampered away from the scene; she may have advanced to the second round of this ladies' tournament, but at a bit of an odd cost.

Now she had to figure out how she was going to be able to explain and apologize about the whole ' _sorry for blowing a hole in your mansion_ ' ordeal with the minimal amount of punishment being dealt to her – and Elisabeth was _not_ one to easily forgive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: One of the ladies of Hakkesshu prey upon their first victim in the tournament...


	11. Round 1: Fiolina Germi vs. Vice

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #5   
** **Fiolina Germi vs. Vice**

Fio's heart was beating in her throat as she stood alongside the two intersecting hallways that formed the combat zone decided. She didn't have much on herself in terms of weaponry; she had left behind her firearms for the sake of not carrying anything that could potentially kill someone – and thank god for that ruling, since she wasn't all that big on killing anyone unless they truly deserved it.

A fighting tournament was not the first thing to come to mind when it came to the types of missions the young Italian was most suited for. Espionage, strategy, tactical missions were more up her alley – legitimate fights, of the hand-to-hand variety, were not her strong suit.

She had to make it through as much of this tournament as she could, and considering who she had been put against in the first round, it would do wonderfully for her, but especially Leona, to accomplish this win. However, given who she was going to face off against, she'd have to go through hell and back to get even a grasp of a victory...

Fio peeked around the corner, and although she'd love to admit, her eyes were not betraying her mind – Vice and Mature, the cruel beauties, were just a few feet away from her sight, biding their time. She was unsure whether to hazard a guess or not on what exactly they were likely talking about, but it was probably a guarantee they were plotting on what horrific methods they might've been considering against the young soldier. Vice was the one most on Fio's mind, however, as the ruthless redhead was the opponent that was decided for her.

Kind of a frightening situation given all the variables placed together, but she wasn't going to let that cloud her thoughts – if she managed the first strike in the fight, it'd spell out good things for her for the rest of it.

When Fio glanced back around the corner, Vice and Mature almost looked absolutely lost in each other's eyes – she was certain they were inches away from sucking down each others' tongues with how much implied sensual aura there seemed to be... although her worries were still around, as she felt as if Vice's eyes lingered towards her general direction on the last glance-over.

The morbid curiosity was beckoning the military girl's attention, as if it was aware that she was still a fairly young and inexperienced person.

One more look...?

_Just to be sure...?_

The answer escaped her as soon as she felt a hand grappling tightly against her throat.

 _Fuck_ curiosity.

_**FIGHT...!** _

Fio almost couldn't breathe as her neck was handled with a reckless clutch, and the claw-like nails were almost enough to draw blood from the indenting wounds digging into her.

On the other hand, it was unsurprising how much Vice was enjoying seeing her foe squirm and strain as she dragged her closer and closer. Mature too found enjoyment, closely witnessing her partner start to get into action.

"Silly girl," Mature taunted, her sultry tone sounding disharmonious. "Didn't your parents tell you not to peep?"

Vice's tongue traveled excitedly within her mouth as she joined in on the taunts. "Girls these days – just can't seem to resist, can they?"

For Fio, the first strike was long gone for her, and she had to act soon, or else endure something even worse. Already bad enough that the 'no killing' rule in the tournament left her with only had a fraction of the weapons she arrived with for the sake of being safe, but the oxygen she was not getting left her less capable of thinking out a quick counter.

However, she did have one thing in mind... Fio dug into one of her pockets and unveiled a grenade of some sort, tearing off the pin and rolling it across the hall. Vice noticed the grenade rolling forward and knocked it away with her other hand, intending to pass it right back to the opponent. Her first immediate thought was that Fio had no right to expect to blast away the competition so easily – if it meant causing her death, what the fuck ever...

However, rather than a brief but harsh explosion, the secretaries of Orochi witnessed an eruption of smoke that spread across about half of the hallway, including where they stood.

" _Military shitbag_ ," Vice grumbled, annoyed with the smoke fog that spread further than they expected.

She had let her snake-like arm retract at the moment she rolled the grenade back, and by now she and her partner had a bit of trouble seeing through the smoke. The most that _could_ be seen of the opposition was the slight of her silhouette, which was staring to get up and _charge forward—_

Fio tackled Vice to the ground, making up for her lingering eyes by taking her on with the next head-on strike. She sped around behind her, and attempted to just plain choke her out, but Vice soon shook Fio off and tossed her to the ground with a vicious slam. Fio then quickly sprung back, and smacked Vice on the side of her face with her boots crashing up and forward.

Vice stumbled against the wall, almost smashing her back as she fell to a near-seated position and spat out a splatter of blood. "You little fucking twerp," she grunted. "Don't you know who you're messing with?"

Fio's fears from earlier were starting to fade away now that she at least managed a good couple of strikes. She was nearly _smiling_ against those fears... "I know what I'm doing – and hopefully Leona's gonna thank me if I take you creeps down!" She dug down behind her person and unveiled her twin tonfa – it could be considered an equalizer to the strengths of the dark that fueled the opposition.

Vice retorted with such snide, "How cute. You really think you can hold me back with a couple of sticks?"

Fio twirled her tonfas by the handles. "I dunno – you wanna find out?"

Vice retorted by whipping an arm ahead, stretching out against one of Fio's tonfas ( _specifically, her left arm_ ) and attempting to reel in again. Fio tried to shut down Vice's long-range grasp by bringing down the other tonfa against her forearm. Best case, it would cause something close to a fracture, but that case didn't really come true as Vice continued to retract the arm and bring Fio closer.

Fio decided next to try some athletic maneuvers, springing about in a cartwheel to twist against Vice's arm, but to little avail. Vice reacted with a blunt slap across Fio's face to stagger her, and lunged in closer, but she was continuously held back as Fio brought a tonfa towards her face, with the long end pretty much being shoved down Vice's mouth.

Vice decided to release the grasp of Fio's other arm and pry away the tonfa from her mouth with both arms – the taste of the leather-laced oak was _not_ doing well for her, and the low strikes she started to take to the stomach from Fio's left tonfa jabbing in were just more for the pot of frustration.

Eventually, Vice overpowered the young soldier and turned the tables on the situation, pinning Fio hard against the wall and then just proceeding to _slam_ her _against_ it over and over with no remorse for the potential property damage ( _especially compared to Yuri's 'little' Haoh Shoukou Ken incident_ ).

After about five crashing impacts against the wall, to the point where it seemed to start to crack, Vice recklessly dropped Fio with what was basically a powerbomb.

The 'mission' was not going all that well for Fio by this point, having taking quite the damage to her back from just that moment alone. She rolled onto her stomach as she groaned in a growing agony, feeling momentarily helpless as Vice started to crawl over her with such a lingering, corrupt gaze peering down on the victim.

Mature looked on, satisfied with her wicked cohort's work. "For someone who works with the Ikari Warriors, you seem to be trying _really_ hard to disappoint them..."

Vice looked about ready to just tear one of Fio's ears off, her sharp nails roughly digging around it as she lifted her up by her head. "Just as I thought. Completely hopeless." The next thing she felt was nothing like she expected, however, as she felt the sharpness of a knife stabbing her in her side. Beneath what she was looking at, Fio had reached into one of her many pockets and had a legit knife to stab the wicked redhead down low.

The near-impaling pain wasn't _as_ much of a horrific feeling to Vice as it would've for most others, but it was still irritating and threatened to bring her to a disadvantage. She was rolled over and forced onto her back as Fio climbed up on top and handled the knife with a desperate aggression.

Fio wanted to dig the knife further into Vice's side, but there were chances that a true lethality would flourish forward. "I don't want to have to kill you," she said, continuing to recall the rules that were set forth for the tournament.

Vice scoffed, mostly getting over the searing pain in her side. She brought a hand, clutching across Fio's face in a way where her thumb looked ready to gouge out an eye beneath the glasses. "And why don't you? Afraid the host will whip you into submission?"

Vice brought her other hand, clenched into a fist, down against the floor and shoved herself off the ground with a surprising thrust against gravity to bring the two fighters into the air. Her legs clenched tightly around the waist of Fio, and she brought the Ikari-associated girl against the ceiling. A bit of a weird sight to see the two upside-down, up against the ceiling, as if gravity reversed – but it was only the prelude to the crescendo.

In the formation of a leg-scissors takedown swinging down into the ground, lunged herself down into a partial backflip, leaving her pretty much on top as they both crashed down to the floor. An eruption of dark energy enveloped the hall, like a brief explosion that just happened to include the afterimage of a fearsome skull in the middle of it, and the fog thankfully cleared before long.

And the one standing tall? Well, take a guess...

**WINNER: Vice**

* * *

Vice rose back to her feet, only somewhat dirtied by the dust and fog that blew across the hall. In the outcome of the bout, she came out of it with barely much in terms of accumulated damage... well, aside from the knife still stuck in the side of her gut.

As for poor Fio, she was out cold – her glasses cracked and smashed, her cap crumpled next to her face, and a light downpour of blood streaming down parts of her face – between the hairline beyond her forehead, and her nose, she was a bit of a reddened mess on the ground.

Vice scoffed towards the unconscious soldier on the ground. "Try again when you stop being a pussy." Without hesitation, she pulled the knife out of her body, and the stain that was somewhat visible on her dark suit jacket grew slightly from the bleeding wound beneath.

"I think I'll keep the knife," Vice then said, as she took a nice look at the weapon, and the reddened end of the blade. "Nice little momento for this girl's dull attempts, don't you think?" She offered the knife to Mature behind her.

"More than enough, I'd say." The blonde took up the offer, and let her tongue travel freely. She licked the bloodied blade and partook in the dark red fluid as if it was the appetizer towards things to come. "Come along," she then said, walking ahead of her red-headed counterpart. "The fun's only started..."

* * *

"Jeez... that's gotta suck..."

Aoi looked on as the TV projected the aftermath of the battle – being as far away from supporting the Hakkesshu in any way whatsoever, she was kinda counting on Fio getting a surprise win just so those creepy ladies wouldn't get the satisfaction of advancing. Unfortunately, they did, and they were certainly taking it in stride with how they were just partaking in their own blood like it was normal.

It wasn't. It was fucking weird. Guess that was just 'Gaia's will' or whatever they preached on about.

Leona was alongside the Kusanagi relative, keeping up on their newly-grown bond – Fio's loss was more of a hit on her than it was Aoi, since the young soldier was at least loosely aligned with the Ikari team.

"They aren't going to get away with this for much longer," said Leona. The stoic nature of her tone remained, but you could tell she was holding her anger within. "There's always someone stronger to hold them back."

"Maybe it'll be us," Aoi suggested. "Who knows?"

"It all comes down to Elisabeth's decisions. Whatever comes, we'll be ready, and they'll fall."

"It'd mostly be you who's ready – I'm gonna be honest, I'm not all that certain about where I'm going to end up."

"Don't lose trust in yourself," Leona advised. "You're a Kusanagi – the flames of the Sacred Treasure, it runs in the family, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but for my first time at a tournament like this, it's... kind of like choosing a lake as your first swimming spot." Aoi compared, "Small fish in a big pool, I think..."

Leona raised an eyebrow. "You ' _think_ '?"

Aoi sighed, "Look, I feel like I've seen _way too much_ of what those ladies of capable of, so my head's not on all straight..."

"Reasonable; Vice and Mature _are_ among the scum of the Orochi..."

"Kinda hoping we deal with them quick, or else we might _all_ be roped into their bullshit."

"I wouldn't focus _all_ my energy, Aoi," Leona advised. "It's not just them we'd have to deal with..."

"Yeah, I didn't forget..." After saying that, Aoi felt someone cuddle her tightly.

" _Glomp~!_ " Shermie's embrace was all too familiar, and Aoi nearly rolled her eyes the whole way into her head in a mild case of frustration. Not the first time she'd been the victim of a surprise hug, and most definitely not the last either...

Leona kept her eyes away from what was going on beside her, and kept her silence along with it. Whether there was something she'd likely regret saying on the mind or not, it was only in her deep inner thoughts at the moment.

"What do you want now?" Aoi sighed.

Shermie giggled, barely loosening the embrace she had behind the Kusanagi relative. "Just wanted to check up on my favorite biker babe before her first big match. Feeling nervous?"

"Okay... first off, I dunno if my number's coming up next," explained Aoi. "Second, the only thing I'm feeling right now is _uncomfortable_ with you wrapped around me. Could you please...?"

You couldn't see it in her eyes – mainly because her hair hid them far too well – but Shermie sensed a bit of lacking optimism within Aoi as she was shooed away from the hug. "What's wrong? With this whole crazy tournament, I would've figured you'd be excited..."

"Well, after that last match that your 'friends' took part in, there's a lot of things on my mind worth forgetting forever." The last match's aftermath threatened to taint Aoi's mind.

The French redhead giggled away the vaguely grotesque image, though. "That's just their thing, no? They just kinda get off on that sorta stuff – sometimes with each other."

Aoi's stomach wriggled at the simple thought of Vice and Mature partaking in some sort of sadistic foreplay levels beyond the blood-tasting. "Gross."

"But fun," Shermie insisted confidently.

Aoi glanced back, "It's not like you ever took part in that shit with them, right?" Shermie didn't say anything immediately, but her sneaky smile and light blush told the answer for Aoi, who started to maybe realize, "Ah _fuck_ , you did, didn't you?"

"I don't often kiss and tell, Aoi," Shermie simply said, as she started to walk past. "If you'll _excusez-moi_ , I've got a match to prepare for... but we can talk later about it if you're feeling desperate about it."

Aoi insisted, "Trust me, that's the last feeling I'd want."

Smiling subtly, Shermie wordlessly said farewell with a blown kiss towards Aoi, and strutted off to elsewhere.

…

Leona, after spending that whole conversation in silence, finally broke it once Shermie was fully out of the scene. "You just can't trust her – even with a smile like that, you just know she has a sinister beast within. Lightning and thunder – only the Orochi could enact power like that from her..."

Burying her face into the table she sat at, Aoi was quiet herself for a moment before she brought her head back up and towards the stoic soldier. An ultimatum was on the mind of the Kusanagi rebel. "Leona... if you happen to get to her before I do... kick her teeth in, would ya?"

"I'll do what I can," Leona partially sealed the promise. "But like I said, it's up to Elisabeth – and if she's as willing to deal with them as we are."

Aoi's arms crossed over the table, her head rested underneath a mild exasperation towards the situation at hand. "God, I hope so..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: 'The Fists' vs. 'The Legs' – kind of an odd hint to what's to come, but it's the best I got.


	12. Round 1: Vanessa vs. Luong

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #6 **   
**Vanessa vs. Luong**

Vanessa shadowboxed with excitable fists as she arrived at the 'combat zone' for the match – a very lengthy hallway provided much distance in terms of north/south, compensating for the somewhat narrow width of the scenery. The agent had her fill of drinks, and she was raring to throw down with her opponent, who had gotten there before her.

Luong had a bit of a split-legged stretch going – one foot planted fairly high against one of the walls and the other planted on the floor, at the bottom crease of the wall on the opposite side. Her flexibility was not something to scoff at, and if anything, it only added to the appeal she was already well-known for from her first showing in a past _King of Fighters_ tournament.

Although flowing with combative adrenaline, Vanessa was willing to ease into the fight after a bit of chatting up. "So... you're the Korea Team's new hotness, I hear?" she asked.

Luong's attention was caught, as she looked towards the redheaded brawler before her – but she didn't break off her limber pose. "Don't try to deny it – you like what you see, don't you?

Vanessa chuckled in response, "You're one to judge."

On the other hand – it may have been the lasting buzz twirling about in her body, but beneath the strong surface that hid it well within herself, she _did_ feel a significant tinge of attraction towards the Vietnamese beauty. It may have been the strong legs, the seductive tone or the see-through cloth providing a bit of under-boob cleavage – or all of the above – but from the first meeting, Luong was making good on her nickname of the 'Enchanting Beauty'.

After a little bit more stretching against the wall, Luong lowered her welcoming leg, "Don't go easy on me – I'm not _just_ looks, you know."

Vanessa had to kinda shake off the tempting thoughts in order to regain her fighting stance. "Right – let's just have some fun."

_**FIGHT!** _

Vanessa made the immediate first move, sliding in with an attempted uppercut – Luong narrowly evaded the fist coming up, with the gloved right only managing to make just the _slightest_ contact with the closest strands of her hair. A couple more punches swung through from Vanessa's arsenal, a left and then a right hook, and missed as Luong swiveled past them with elegance, and then aimed low with a kick that clipped Vanessa's ankle out from under her.

The agent was dropped to one knee as she had to duck to avoid Luong's leg as it went swinging for her skull. Vanessa dropped down lower to try and tackle Luong's other leg, and managed to pluck her up off the ground and onto her shoulder. Before long, however, Luong slipped out of her brief predicament, dropping back down to the ground on her hands and flipping frontwards onto her feet.

Vanessa was a little clueless as she felt the weight on her shoulder just fall out of her hands, but she quickly retained her focus by turning around. Luong propped her left foot against the wall, returning to the stance she took on moments before. Recalling the subtle body language that Vanessa greeted her with right before the match began, Luong had a brief plan in action. The Vietnamese beauty looked back with tempting eyes, welcoming hips and a beckoning finger; it seemed like she was willing to give Vanessa a bit of a free shot – likely more in the 'fist-fight' way than... any more sort of a way.

Vanessa briefly let her eyes wander, and her teeth nibble into one of the leather fingertips of her gloves, but she again refused to let it get to her for too long. She ultimately responded by sliding in for another swinging punch, going for a direct fist to the back, but Luong sprung up and out of the way, somehow performing the perfect splits with her feet on opposing walls, before dropping down onto the redhead's shoulders.

Vanessa felt the long legs of the seductress start to tighten across her neck and upper-chest, and it was far less comfortable than you'd think. Luong relaxed her upper-body for a moment, allowing herself to hang upside-down as her legs kept a firm clench beneath Vanessa's head and forced quite a struggle out of her.

As Vanessa started to plan on just swinging her opponent against the wall, Luong began to catch that plan right before it could go anywhere and rose herself back up. "You're quite the fiesty one, aren't you?" she giggled down to the boxer.

Vanessa then suddenly found herself being brought straight down to the floor as Luong's legs dragged her down. Vanessa's face took the landing first before the rest of her, _smacking_ against the carpeted floor with a reckless tumble. Her sight was briefly a blur, but she could still make out the mostly-empty hall ahead beyond the haze.

Luong laid confidently, stomach-down, and looked back with another mischievous giggle as she waited for Vanessa to get herself back together. When the redhead _did_ get her bearings together, she charged forward in an attempt to pounce down on Luong with a punch thrusting downwards – the Taekwondo beauty rolled out of the way, leaving Vanessa to wind up punching the floor.

" _Fuck!_ " The agent recoiled vulgarly as she rattled away the pain in her hand.

Luong kept her distance as she allowed Vanessa to again recover from her mistake, but she restarted her offense before her opponent was completely recovered. " _Geki!_ " With a snapping thrust of the leg facing the most forward, it came across as a blur as she managed a nasty whipping strike on Vanessa's left shoulder. From the distance between the two, you wouldn't expect that stretching kick to actually connect, but the 'Enchanting Beauty' continued to impress.

Luong's sharp kicks continued, swinging without aim but connecting each time on a random point of Vanessa's body, leaving the agent nearly helpless for the moment.

"You can give up now if you want," the Asian beauty insisted, "I could keep this up all day...!"

On the other side of the assault, Vanessa continued to take the offense head on for several kicks longer. Her shirt caught a few brief tears from those harsh strike, and she was actually managing to approach a closer proximity towards Luong. Even if it was at a snail's pace, she was getting somewhere.

After about twenty kicks altogether, Vanessa surprisingly managed to _catch Luong's leg by the 21st kick!_

Getting over her bruises and scrapes received thus far, Vanessa scoffed, "'All day'? How prepared are you really, for right now?" She tackled Luong against the wall and powered through her long-range offense, leveling the temptress with some strong body blows.

"Body-body-body- _body-body-bodybodybody_ UP _PER_ ~!" Vocally shouting her exerting strikes, Vanessa brought a proper finale to her combo with a potentially jaw-destroying uppercut, one that proved _so_ forceful that Luong was sent _up the wall_ and nearly smashed her head against the ceiling! Fortunately for her, avoiding the ceiling could've proven to help her stay in the match for a little longer, but as she slid back down the wall, Vanessa calmed the velocity of the drop by holding Luong in place with a hand placed against her chest.

Vanessa had a bit of a one-liner ready as she seemed prepared to smash the Korea Team seductress through the wall. "Don't worry about suffering too much longer, sweetie – I'll put this match to bed real quick!"

One more strong punch could prove to be the end-game to this bout – with the wind-up and the swing...

...Vanessa struck nothing but the wall...?

Luong still had some health left to this battle, and she managed to swiftly drop down to the floor before anything connected – Vanessa wound up punching the wall, as previously stated, and not only that, but her fist had found itself burrowing _into_ the wall, leaving her in a bit of a predicament.

Luong chuckled at the sight above her, bleeding slightly from the bottom lip. "You've certainly proven yourself – just not against me," she snarked.

As Vanessa struggled to get her hand unstuck, Luong slowly slithered out from under the agent and kept herself low and out of sight for the minute.

Ultimately, Vanessa managed to free herself from her hand's accidental self-entombing by removing it from her glove – she still had to deal with the harsh sting from punching what was essentially damn near concrete, though. "...Piece of shit wall!" she ranted briefly.

That would seem to be her last line of the bout, as she immediately felt a foot drop down atop her head – Luong backflipped into an upside kick, sneaking in the strike from the side to level Vanessa while she was distracted by her own quickly-solved problem. The agent felt such a pounding force that it almost felt like her eyes were going to fall right out of their sockets – fortunately, and that's saying fairly _loosely_ , she only had to deal with a splatter of blood flowing straight from her disrupted system and out of her mouth.

The Taekwondo beauty looked on from behind the redhead, taking her sweet time with her foe. "You might want to hang up those gloves before it's too late – you just can't compete with elegance." Bending her leg back, Luong took a spinning start before making for one more swift swing, then clocked Vanessa with a kick straight to the back of her head...

...which sent Vanessa head-first into, and _through_ the wall! A strong tuft of dust resulted from the destruction of the wall, and as it faded, an odd image of Vanessa's head buried neck-deep in the wall and her body hanging against that wall in unconsciousness formed as the lasting scene of the match's finale.

**WINNER: Luong**

* * *

In fairness, the position of which Vanessa's KO'd body was left was very amusing, especially in the eyes of Luong, who again giggled at the expense of the agent.

"If there's anything in the way of advice a lady like myself can give... maybe just lay off the drinks before your big match?" In the occasions of close encounters during the match, Luong was able to recognize the smell of strong liquor – and she had a feeling that was Vanessa's downfall for the most part.

The Vietnamese fighter was fairly damaged coming out of the match, having taken some harsh body blows and a particularly rough uppercut, but she still seemed well enough by the end to walk away under her own power. Her hips pivoted about with a certain confidence as she strutted out of the scene, a fighter of a new generation overcoming the more veteran competition in this first round...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another nice, tough bout, just as simple as that.
> 
> Next Chapter: Athena jumps into the fray for her first performance of the tournament...


	13. Round 1: Athena Asamiya vs. Kisarah Westfield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A heads-up: This chapter's gonna have a bit of smut after the fight.

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #7   
** **Athena Asamiya vs. Kisarah Westfield**

The locale of the fight was at the corner between long halls – doors leading to guest rooms were visible in the not-so-far distance from where the decided combat zone was.

Through the projecting camera set to provide the next bout, the screen provided what was basically 90% composed of Athena's face – mainly because she was using the reflection of the camera's lens as a makeshift mirror while she did a spotlight check on herself.

Hairband? Nice and straightened.

Hair? As perfect a shade of dark purple as you could get.

Costume? Still kinda tight and clingy on her body, but she was getting used to it.

Being a world-reknown pop idol, Athena needed to be absolutely sure that her overall look was at its most optimal – it was almost like a case of OCD, but a controllable sense.

It was going to be showtime in no less than two minutes, and with Psycho Power on her side, she was prepared to face down her upcoming opponent...

…

Kisarah carried her school bag with her to the combat zone, like she did when she initially arrived. She was a bit nervous but she was still optimistic, even though she was going to throw down with someone with quite the gifted powers.

She couldn't help but be all smiles as she approached Athena from behind and at a distance. The pop idol didn't notice for a little while until she turned around and met face to face with the high-schooler.

"Hello again," greeted Kisarah.

"Oh! Uh, Kisarah, right?" Athena asked. "So you're my opponent?"

Kisarah provided a bit of a reasonable theory to the match-up. "Guess maybe Ms. Blanctorche wants to be sure if I can 'hang around' with the strong side of the competition. I want to do my best – will you, too?"

Athena was quick to voice her brief reluctance to the upcoming bout. "I... almost don't want to go at my best right away; I don't want to overpower you too hard..."

"This isn't my first fight, y'know," Kisarah said. "I can handle a few bruises... are you ready?"

"I guess there's no turning back for either of us, then..." Athena enacted her fighting stance, as she then declared, "Athena, on stage!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Athena dashed into close quarters, and started throwing some open-palm strikes – three palming punches were thrown in a single string of strikes, and all three somehow missed as Kisarah swiveled around and luckily dodged them all in succession. Athena managed to land her next attack, a bit of a short-leap kick reaching for the mid-section, and sent Kisarah sliding a slight distance.

Athena retained the close distance by making her way further down the hall towards the England girl, dipping lower to sweep her legs out from under her with an ankle-height dropkick. Kisarah took a tumble down and saved herself from taking a harsh pratfall by bringing her case to the floor and using it to cushion herself.

Kisarah then did a brief vault over her bag, flipping over and homing in on Athena with a darting dropkick of her own. She connected with the kick on the pop idol, sending her reeling back in brief grogginess. This allowed Kisarah another strike to follow up, as she brought a boot to Athena's gut, kicking her further back against the wall, and she tried to follow it up by swinging her case forward.

Athena ducked, struck Kisarah below her angle of bag-swinging with two palms to the stomach, and pushed her back with the double-hand strike. " _Psycho Ball~!_ " Athena tossed the pinkish-orange projectile straight at the exchange student, and got in an extra running kick as a follow-up, for the three hit combo.

With another dash in, and a short leap, Athena cocked her fist back and swung hard – Kisarah brought her bag up to chest-level, where Athena was aiming, and managed to block the punch. Athena's fist clacked hard against the rough lather bag, and there was a bit of a harsh, echo-less contact followed by Athena reeling her hand back and shaking off a spark of pain.

It was Kisarah's turn to dash in, bringing her bag and swinging it at Athena's chest as hard as possible. This sent even further smashing pain against the Psycho Soldier, as she stumbled back and nearly knocked over a plant-carrying vase that was meant to be delicate decorating for the hallway.

Athena lost her guard for a brief moment, genuinely surprised at how hard the bag felt coming into contact with her. "Geez...!" She had to ask, even if it was inconvenient for the fight, "What's even _in_ that bag?"

Kisarah wore a proud smile. "It's a surprise how much hard-cover books could do for combat, isn't it?"

With a brief flash of pink, Athena had a brief speed boost as she flung herself at Kisarah again and grappled into her to hold her down for a moment as she had to think up her next strategy quickly in the short amount of time she could give herself.

That time was shortened even further when Kisarah ducked further down and brought her foot swinging flexibly far over behind herself, smacking the back end of her foot against the back of Athena's head like the sting of a scorpion's tail. Athena unconsciously freed her opponent as she stumbled away, allowing Kisarah to dive in with a jumping knee to the face that knocked the Psycho Soldier down.

To add insult to injury, Kisarah dropped herself ass-first against Athena's face while she was down for one more hit before rolling off and kneeling nearby, as Athena writhed briefly – the pop star could've most definitely gotten her nose broken if the ass-drop was angled a specific way.

"So tell me, Asamiya," Kisarah began to ask, "how am I doing so far?"

Although the last couple strikes did quite a number on her, Athena managed to give out a smile. "Well, you certainly got a way with attacks."

The two young ladies, both kneeling, had eyes locked on each other as they very briefly conversed, and Kisarah saw the glow of energy beneath her too late as Athena brought an energized palm straight up her jaw.

" _Psycho Sword~!_ " Athena sent Kisarah, and herself alongside, flying off the ground for a bit of hang-time and allowing the Psycho Soldier to knock her foe straight back down to the ground with a swaying kick.

Kisarah bounced briefly against the ground, before rolling off her back and onto her elbows and knees. She maintained a low stance on the ground as she looked back up and saw that Athena was still hovering in the air, helped by her psychic energy, just moments before she spiraled herself down like a meteorite.

" _Phoenix Arrow!_ " Athena dove straight into the ground, but her initial strike failed to clock Kisarah dead-on – the sweeping low dropkick afterwards, however, did, and fully laid Kisarah out.

Kisarah was gradually feeling the experience of the rough-and-tumble combat she allowed herself to get into – the England exchange student was starting to have trouble standing up after those kicks to the legs, and her allowing her knees to occasionally scrape against the ground.

"I gotta say, you've been putting up quite the effort," Athena was heard, several feet across from Kisarah. "I'd hate to say, though, but you're kinda outclassed..."

Holding pure Psycho Power atop her index finger, Athena rolled the baseball-sized orb across the hall like a little bowling ball, and it eventually stopped underneath Kisarah

Having fallen into deeper fatigue than her opponent throughout the match, Kisarah wasn't exactly able to smoothly evade what was about to come – she took her certain defeat with an impressed grin. "Nice one."

A harsh pop of energy plowed Kisarah up into the ceiling and sent her back down to Earth just as quickly. Coughing and groaning, it was more than a definite point for her to just pack it up and take her loss like a woman, as she rolled onto her back a soot-covered mess.

**WINNER: Athena Asamiya**

* * *

You could really consider Athena's battle and victory as a sort of performance piece with her graceful effort throughout, and it rewarded her with the win. Asamiya was welcoming to the scattered applause that she couldn't hear, and she took a thankful bow towards the cameras that focused on the now-completed match.

Beneath the very minimal amount of sounds beyond the calm ambiance of the building, however, Athena was left capable of fully hearing something seem to rip open on her person. The realization kicked in immediately for her – without actually shifting her lips, her smile managed to contextually morph from one of confidence to one that feared feeling embarrassment.

Her sleek, tight shorts had given up on her form and had split at the rear, and since the spats doubled as her undergarments, she... ahem... exposed a bit more skin than expected – at least more than she wanted down at her nethers. Athena _froze up_ in her mid-bow pose as the exposure of her partially naked rear through the tear silently overwhelmed her in the form of heavy blush across the face.

If there was anything for her to be thankful for at the moment, it was that the tournament was a private matter – there wasn't an audience of millions in this case, rather more or less _thirty_ in this case between the other competitors – those who _weren't_ committed to whatever personal clinic Elisabeth provided within her mansion, at least – and the additions alongside Elisabeth like Chizuru and, well...

* * *

Ash watched on at the foyer of the mansion as the TV he had come across provided the aftermath of the Athena/Kisarah battle, and, in turn, also provided a decent gander at Athena's butthole through her split-open shorts, beneath her fairly short skirt. In his head, he was certain Betty had to be feeling bad about the Psycho Soldier's little dilemma, but in a personal sense, it was an entertaining little moment for him to linger by and witness as a viewing audience member.

He chuckled at the broadcasted misfortune of Athena, " _Pas si parfait, tu l'es maintenant?_ "

This was accompanied afterwards by another chuckle – but not from him... "Yeah, _parfait_ something something, right?"

Ash turned his head – the brown-clad Malin was reclining on a table that was near and behind him, almost as if she wanted him to notice her; and given earlier, that _had_ to have been the case.

"What are you doing, kid?" Ash was only somewhat capable of recognizing Malin on the spot as she was once a tagalong of Athena's, back in the 2003 _KOF_ tournament, and he almost scoffed at her presence.

"Just watching the tournament, like you," Malin answered as she started to hop off the table. "I may or may not have been looking at your ass, too."

Ash wouldn't mind if she was, if the mischievous little giggle meant anything. "Well, aren't _you_ cheeky..."

"If anything, Athena's the one who's cheeky right now," Malin joked. "You and I saw the same thing, right – the whole rip?"

"And what a rip it was," said Ash. "I think she could benefit from the exposure, if you catch my drift."

"Yeah, I guess so." Malin started to approach a little closer to the red-clad Frenchy as she responded. "Though... you wanna know what _I'm_ thinking?"

Ash turned the rest of the way towards the girl. "The floor is yours, kid."

With little hesistation, Malin decided to hop up onto like a lovely cat, with her arms wrapping around the back of his neck and her legs around his waist. "How about you expose _me_ and give me a nice good fuckin' on that table over there?"

The proposition rung hard on Ash as he felt the blonde rogue cling onto him tightly – he could've sworn she was trying to grind herself lower against his crotch all the while.

Regardless, his cocky grin sprung to the surface. "I don't think you really want this, kid."

Malin lightly felt against Ash's face with an open hand and a matching smile. "Afraid I'd be too much to handle?"

Ash grabbed the girl's feeling hand. "I should be saying that to _you_..."

Within seconds, the two suddenly soared over to the long-stretched banquet table and started sucking face, as Ash had Malin pinned down on her back against the hard wood with the aggression akin to someone on a hard-working love potion.

Tongues clashed in a showcase of love beyond war, and Ash was quick to reach low and beneath Malin's skirt as the session carried by at a quick pace. Feeling against the spandex of her form-fitting shorts, eager Crimson began to fondle against the protruding pussy through the clothes, his fingers providing a welcoming heat to make Malin quiver and melt before him at a moment's notice.

"Mmph! F-fuck!" Malin whimpered as her 'bad boy crush' vigorously fingered her and just made her straight up soak the most sensitive region of her shorts. "Please~! I need your cock, now!"

Ash chuckled with confidence, taking the girl's begging words in stride. "Very well." His black-polished nails dug into the sleek fabric around Malin's slit, and tore them open rather easily. He must've really wanted that easy access into her, and it was much more evident when he tugged down on his pants and his cock sprung out from beneath, already hardened to the core and beckoning with subtle throbs.

He immediately pressed himself against her and purged through her entrance with ease, and he went straight to business as he withdrew nearly the whole way back and slammed into her, sheathing his cock into her down to the base.

Ash continued to slam into his prey, at an approximate estimation of two thrusts per second, and this quickly brought Malin to a moaning mess as her legs were spread wide for her crush and her skirt was nearly flipped inside out, flapping out onto her chest.

The tight pussy he ever so gracefully penetrated left Ash also on the brink of a sensual blessing, as he continued to let his hips do their magic on the young girl, wildly thrusting in such a ambiance accompanied by the smacks of flesh connecting together in a symphonic rhythm of sex.

Eventually, the aura was starting to overwhelm even Ash, as his groan fizzled out through his nose. It was hardly more than three minutes and his cock was starting its preparations to expunge its load into its target.

"Mmm, fuck... I'm close, _ma chérie_...!"

"Nngh, yes!" Malin nodded aggressively as she too was coming close to her climax. "Yes, please! Cum inside me! Impregnate me if you want! _**Please!**_ "

It must've just been luck, but it could've absolutely been fate allowing Malin to get plowed by her off-hand crush. She could almost hear within her head a crowd chanting her name and cheering her on as her pleasurable travels to Pound Town were about to reach a nice and creamy end.

" _Ma-lin, Ma-lin, Ma-lin, Ma-lin...!"_

Intriguingly enough, it gradually started to sound like a crowd of _one_... and that one sounded oddly familiar...

* * *

"Malin! _Malin!_ "

Malin gasped herself awake and her eyes sprung open, and instead of the sight of her quote-unquote 'boy-toy' plowing her, she saw the bottom of a bunk bed above her, and the convenient TV screen included right above her own bed.

No Ash. No full penetration. No _creampie_. Just a dirty little daydream.

Conveniently sheltered from the neck down with her bed-sheets, was spared the need to cover anything that needed covering, as she glanced over and saw a slightly worried Athena staring back, a bit of cloth wrapped around her waist and hanging down behind her due to... well, you know...

Malin could barely speak – she was still winding down from her fantasy. "W-wha...?"

Athena reminded her, "Your match is up next!"

Malin's eyes briefly widened "Oh _fuck_!" She jumped away from her bed-sheets, adjusting her skirt and shorts and re-tying the loosened bandanna that nearly fell off her head. "Sorry 'bout that! Thought I still had time! Gotta run!"

She sped off to try and make up for her near-tardiness to the battle, leaving Athena by herself to look frustrated, as the rascal's behavior around her since before the tournament began had started to wear down on her.

A second later, Athena took notice to a knife that was left laying on the bed, and realized that Malin might wind up a weapon short for the battle. "Hey wait! You forgot your—!"

Athena stopped herself once she actually grabbed the knife, as something else sparked within her mind, specifically about that little neglected weapon. Mainly, the handle, and the fact that it was noticeably moist in her grasp. Clicking together that and what it seemed like Malin was doing with it before she had to snap her out of her fantasy, it was no surprise when she dropped it after a moment of silence.

" _Gross._ "

The Psycho Soldier then spent the next few minutes contemplating boiling her hand...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of a factoid - that 'wet dream' sequence was actually a little longer, and actually reached the cumshot in the original OpenOffice file (and it's still as it is on the file right now). I absoutely doubt I'll post that version of the scene as a separate chapter since it's only an extra couple of light paragraphs with barely any differences anywhere else.  
> I decided to cut it short to make the 'it was a dream scene' twist hit a little more sudden (although in the original version, it was as abrupt as this version with the 'chant/call your name' bit) - as if reality decided Malin didn't deserve a 'creamy end', even in her dreams. I have a feeling she'll eventually get a real smut scene much later on - not with Ash, though.
> 
> Next Chapter: After a bit of a rocky prelude for her, it's Malin's time to shine next – but she may have a hard time against the opponent that's decided for her...


	14. Round 1: Malin vs. Nagase

** OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #8   
** **Malin vs. Nagase**

Malin just barely made the five-minute deadline to the combat zone – having to dash halfway across the mansion was no funny business at all, and it just seemed like life was testing her patience. Maybe it was the sexual fantasy weighing her mind down, combined with having to fight through this tournament.

The blonde rebel was exhausted upon arrival – although the hallway scenery was well-lit by the wall spread with windows, it was no help to her situation as she was a panting, sweaty mess.

"Didn't think you'd actually show up." Malin sprung up slightly when she heard her opponent sound off outside of her line of sight. She looked ahead of herself, then behind her, then the sides. Then she looked up.

Nagase, the honeybee assassin, was somehow laying on the ceiling, presumably intending to show off a bit of her wild agility. "For a second, I was expecting to catch an easy forfeit win."

Malin showed resentment towards her opponent from the get-go. "Ugh, just screw right off, okay? You know how tough it is to run around the place trying to find these stupid combat zones? …just, come on down here, you stupid—I don't have time to bitch around."

Although she would've rather just stayed up there to piss her opponent off further with barely any effort, Nagase dropped down to the ground with expert precision. "Alright, first off – stamina, work on it; second, manage your time better – don't waste it on bullshit if it's a tournament like this; _third_ , you might want to watch yourself before you lose your tongue, kid."

"'Kid'? Pfft~!" Malin scoffed. "You don't look that much older than I do."

Nagase sent out a retort, as she scanned up and down on her rival through her enhanced glasses. "Physically, sure; in terms of 'years old', maybe; but in terms of fighting skill, I've downloaded so much battle data over the past few years, and from the looks of it, all you got are shitty trinkets."

"Shitty? _Trinkets!?_ "

Nagase rolled her eyes. "Are half your responses today going to just be retorts about my insults?"

Malin pointed _aggressively._ "No! J-ju—just shut up! That's the same bullshit Yuri keeps pedaling at me!"

"Jeez, Karate Kid's getting you pissy? Maybe check your grudge at the door _before_ you face someone like me..."

Malin whipped out her claw from her bag of tricks. "Don't make me disembowel you."

Nagase smiled cockily at the reflection of herself shining off of Malin's Wolverine-style claw blade. "Highly doubt you ever have – but if you want this, I ain't gonna tease you."

_**FIGHT!** _

Malin immediately went for blood, thrusting her claw at Nagase's face, but the blades only met more blades, as Nagase caught the claw by the wedge between blades with one of her ninjato swords. After a moment of pushing against each other, Nagase caught the upper hand early on by kicking Malin in the gut and then laying in the other boot square on her forehead, sending her stumbling.

Nagase followed her foe down the path and pounced her with a rough tackle, and then stomped on her gut while she was down. Malin sprung up into a seated position as she reeled from the stomping force against her stomach, only to find herself having to react quickly as Nagase attempted to slash at her face with both of her ninjato blades.

Malin swooped back down into a lying-face-up position before kipping up and meeting back against the ninjutsu-experienced assassin. She swung a wild punch and it was ducked, as Nagase smoothly weaved by, came up behind her, brought both feet to her back, and then with a roll-back she sent Malin across the hall with a sort of monkey-flip toss.

Malin took the initial landing on her back before rolling back onto her hands and knees, and watched on for too long as Nagase ran up at her again and used her like stairs, stepping on the top of her head with one foot as elevation, and then pushing her face against the floor with the other as she hopped right over the hazel-clad girl with no care for her opponent's relative safety.

Nagase then took a few steps backwards and got a chuckle out of Malin's current situation, as she saw her with her face planted against the floor and her lower body forming a bit of an upwards plateau with her butt sticking up.

"Look at you," said Nagase. "A minute with me and you're already looking like a total chump."

Malin started to push herself off against the ground, frustratedly grumbling to herself – however, Nagase brought a foot to the back of her head and kept her down as she took a bit of a position above her, kind of like straddling backwards on a horse.

"You might not want to let yourself get into positions like this," Nagase recommended. "People tend to play around with their opponents sometimes – like so."

The enhanced ninja swung an open hand down and slapped the backside of Malin's skirt – followed by another, and another. Several brief, annoyed grunts came out of Malin as she blushed with mild anger while her opponent played with her butt like bongos.

Nagase chuckled to herself, clearly having a bit of fun with this. "Now, I'm not one to judge, but compared to Yuri – your 'rival' – I'd say she probably has more rhythm going in her trunk than you."

Her laugh was transitioned quickly into gagging as a wire suddenly whipped around her neck – she managed to avoid being _fully_ choked by bringing a few fingers in the space in between skin and wiring before it tightened.

Regardless of that, Nagase was still finding herself in a disadvantage, as Malin had managed to get her yo-yo and get it ( _mostly_ ) tight around her opponent.

Malin easily managed to heave Nagase over and onto the ground with her, taking a position akin to a crossface submission as she pulled hard and left the honeybee assassin at a surprising struggle. Maybe the butt comparison to her Kyokugenryu rival was again a bit much for her to take without resorting to violent tactics...?

It wasn't going to take too long, though, as Nagase broke free by tearing through the wire with her ninjato, and then spun around and shoved Malin down to the ground. The blade in her hand swung down against Malin's face, and loomed over one of her eyes as Nagase was scorned momentarily by the sudden cheap shot brought upon her.

Nagase spoke through gritted teeth, "Good work, dipshit – you got one on me, but I'm not letting anything else through out of you!"

She spoke way too soon, though, as the tables turned back over again and Malin rolled herself over, back on top of her opponent while holding back the ninjato-wielding hand. She dug into her little belt bag of tricks for a moment as she kept at the struggle – but after a few seconds, it seemed like something was going wrong for her.

"Shit!" she cursed at herself. "Must've left it on my bed!" For a moment, through her pausing expression, she almost seemed embarrassed to speak further.

Then Nagase took back control and slammed Malin down to the floor again, standing up and pressing a foot against her neck. "A weapon too short, are ya? You're far less prepared for me than I thought!"

Malin grabbed onto Nagase's neck-standing leg. "Still got a lot of other stuff to work with, though!" She kipped up again, knocking Nagase out with a mid-recovery dropkick.

With a bit of distance between the two, Malin decided on a bit of projectile play as she threw the yo-yo with the broken wire – as it soared by, it slowed slightly in its travel and within its core, a swirl of hidden blades unveiled onto the outline and spun with aggression.

Nagase guarded the toy-made-weapon as it clashed with her swords, shoving it back. Whipping out a handful of shuriken, she tossed them across, past the deadly toy that lost its speed and hover power...

...but the shurikens found themselves swung off to the left and through one of the large windows, as Malin brought _another_ object into play – that being a _cartoonishly large mallet._

The big guns—erm, big 'hammers'—came into play already, and Nagase was left a little baffled. _"Fuck's sake,"_ she thought. _"Even Mignon would consider that a bit much...!"_

"Hammer beats nail, bitch!" Malin quipped as she charged forward, ready to slam down with an overhead strike with that white and pink mallet.

Nagase charged forward in opposition with her blades, and a clash soon ensued as the hammer came down and was met with resistance from the ninjatos stabbing into it. The strength of the opposing weaponry was real, and the pushing led to equal ground for both of the young prospects.

Nagase chose this deadlock to provide some criticism towards the opposition. "'Hammer beats nail'? Please tell me you didn't actually spend _time_ on that line!"

Malin shouted back, "Sure as hell spent less time on that than you probably did with that stupid bumblebee haircut!"

" _Honey_ bee, ya dumb blonde!"

"You think I'd have in-depth knowledge on that crap? I _hate_ bugs!"

"Well, that explains why that Betty broad paired us against each other – guess I'm here to uphold your hatred for a reason!"

Malin pushed her mallet with further force but no avail. "Fuck you, I'm fighting through that hatred! And then Yuri's next!"

Nagase snapped back, "Fuck _you_ – I've got girls on my shitlist, too! Mignon, Lien, the works!"

"I barely know who either of those chicks are!"

"Tough fuckin' luck then!"

The long-term strengths began to show their colors, as the huge hammer compared to the short swords started to push harder against Nagase rather than vice versa with Malin – she started to take a couple steps back as she delved within her live-wired mind for a strategy to take back the advantage.

That strategy would've required one free hand, though, so she had to handle both of the ninjatos that were stuck in the flat end of the mallet with her right hand while trying to chalk a quick counter-act with her left. The battle data she had gathered from the long road around Southtown was going to be put into good use somehow...

Ultimately, she took into consideration the heat of the battle, and decided there needed a bit more to the flame – _quite literally, in fact._

Crouching lower, Nagase planted a palm against the floor and let go of the blades in her other hand. As this happened, Malin broke away momentarily as she shook the blades off of the mallet and went back in for a maddening hammering ahead...

...but she found herself meeting up and close with a burning aura that rose quickly and _exploded even faster_ – the assassin quite literally blew her opponent away with a catastrophic ring of fire that almost soared through the ceiling as the shockwave of flame sent Malin pretty far, and her cartoonish mallet even further away.

The scream of defeat heard spiraling out of her opponent was music to Nagase's ears, as she allowed the heat to encircle her in her destructive technique. When the flames eventually calmed around her, the hallway was a bit of a mess, with some charred rubble hanging about.

**WINNER: Nagase**

* * *

Malin was across the room by bow, her clothes roughed up real bad from the fire that caught her dead-on, and she had apparently fallen into unconsciousness by the end of it all. Maybe she bumped her head against something in the midst of her unintended flight ( _maybe her mallet bonked HER, who knows_ ), or the burning sensation so close to her was too much for her to handle, for such a little reckless runt.

Regardless, Nagase was the one left standing at the climatic end, and she had advanced to the next round. After looming over the unconscious and defeated body of her foe, Nagase stepped on Malin's chest as one last bit of insult-to-injury as she made her exit.

She also had one more quip prior to her leave. "My advice – sell that mallet back to ACME, tell 'em it doesn't do shit against someone like me."

* * *

Elsewhere during the proceedings of the tourney, Lien had found herself at a comfortable position, sitting in a mostly empty bar room with a glass of alcohol by her side, looking on at the TV near and above where her barstool was positioned.

Her face read as stoic, but deep within, there was perhaps a hint of disgust towards the outcome of the latest match. The overarching connection in some of the winners was a bit of a major thought in her head.

Nagase had advanced, although unsurprising considering the competition she was set against, the comparatively weak Malin. _Mignon_ had somehow advanced, and Lien would only consider that as a stroke of luck luck since water against electricity was bound for bad things against _her_ opponent in Sylvie.

Whatever. There was a bright side to their victories: she had more of a chance of beating down someone she personally hated, near to the point of death – unfortunately not _to the death_ , and she can only blame Elisabeth and her noble ideals for that ruleset. She could care less about most of the other competitors, regardless of their road past the first round, in win or in loss.

"Oi, tits...!" Speaking of those who lost...

It wasn't worth Lien's time acknowledging her as she was unimportant to her eyes, but B. Jenet, relatively fresh off her loss against Love Heart several matches back, was also spending her time with the drinks, standing on the other side of the bar table with about three times more of the drinks than what the femme fatale was partaking in.

Jenet and Lien shared some odd similarities – being blonde British femme fatales who lived lives of crime. The similarities stopped not too far from there, as while Jenet was a cheerful but reckless spirit who flaunted her ambition, wealth and looks, Lien was all business with what she did and her looks were a weapon of their own.

Jenet offered the assassin, "You thinkin' you need another glass? Plenty o' sweetness to go around...!"

Lien's eyes barely separated from their glare against the table, just barely hearing Jenet despite her being right in front of her. "No thanks..."

"You sure? You look like you kinda need it..."

" _Fuck off._ "

May have been the alcohol dimming her mind a bit, but Jenet was unprepared by that brief but vulgar response. "Yeesh – haven't even had your match and you seem pissy. You see _me_ all smiles, and I _lost_ my match..."

Lien's response was straight-forward if harsh. "Because you find your refuge in the drinks. You _always_ do."

"I'm kinda known to be a party animal – the liquor's in my blood, basically." Jenet was _prepared_ to defend her reckless lifestyle, it seemed.

"A clear sign that you have a problem."

'Deny, deny, deny' – that was all what the pirate queen did throughout, and she was increasingly willing to resort to violence. "You really wanna do this with me? I got a pack of pirates waiting in the wings – we could pillage your arse to kingdom come if I wanted to!"

Lien responded calmly, handling what was left of the ice cubes in the almost-empty glass before her. "I'm pretty sure your parents wouldn't like what you've become in recent years; your ode to piracy and all..."

Jenet scoffed smuggly. "I honestly wouldn't care – better off on the sea than dealing with the petty, boring bullshit they tend to pedal. What would your parents say about _your_ workload?"

"Nothing; they're **dead.** "

Jenet blinked twice in silence as she realized she _may_ have struck a cord. "...Well, fuck, there goes some of my ammo."

Despite the mention of her late family, which held a risk to cause her recollection on horrible memories, Lien seemed to retain her stoic nature. "Not like you had much 'ammo' to begin with. I suggest you walk off from my sight _now_ before you really embarrass yourself..." She was polishing the rim of the glass as she calmly spoke out against the pirate queen.

Then with a brief crackle heard, a piece of the glass broke off, and was within Lien's hand in a sizable triangular piece that featured a clear, sharp point on one end of it. "Otherwise, if you're willing to stay, maybe I could show you what I could do with just this bit of glass I got in my hand."

Jenet was a little scared, but very clueless to the potential of the assassin before her. "...Can I at least have a hint, then?"

Lien's light grin was kinda intimidating. "Let's just say I'm _very_ precise with my incisions..."

Within seconds from that, Jenet started to pack it in for now and make her leave. " _Yeeeeah_ nope. Not gonna risk it. You go be a psycho bitch all you want around here, I'm just not gonna be around to see it." The purple-clad pirate was not often trumped by more fearsome competitors, and she knew when she'd rather not have a bad time. She hopped back over the bar table and exited stage left, her hands held up and to the side as she refused to look Lien in the eye any further.

Lien looked on at the departing pirate queen with a sense of sickening accomplishment to her successful intimidation tactic. Not a lot of people usually risked themselves enough to get past the threats and consider a full-fledged battle. Not a lot of _those_ people got out of the match without any injuries. Nonetheless, she was not what the assassin was here for...

" _You think you're such a smooth operator, eh?_ "

In fact, all she'd need to do was turn around to find her first-round opponent – and that was what she did.

King, the brawling bartender, was leaning against the opened door on the other side of the room, arms crossed as she stared straight ahead at the assassin. Wasn't the first time they bumped shoulders today, and with this confrontation, there was no telling if this was going to be the last.

She finished her comment, stating. "Unlike her – you might find I'm not so willing to back down."

From there, King started to step closer... Lien followed suit, slowly narrowing the space between her and her opponent...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: No mystery about what match comes next – Lien and King do battle next!


	15. Round 1: Lien Neville vs. King

**OPENING ROUND – FIGHT #9  
Lien Neville vs. King**

The combat zone was set, conveniently, to the bar room that the two blonde brawlers shared the space of. Red eyes met blue as the chosen fighters locked into each other's sights. The tension was so thick, you could almost cut into it like a smooth cake...

"So you're my opponent, then?" Lien said. "I'm surprised you managed to figure it out beforehand..."

"Chizuru and I go way back," King explained, recalling all the way back to 1997 with the assistant and coordinator. "Gave me a little intel about what I was getting into. She figured you needed a bit of tough competition to start things off, to make sure you have to back up what you say about yourself."

Lien chuckled in a condescending way. "The 'Powers That Be' don't think I can get the job done on the first go? Is that what I'm hearing out of you?"

King held back her own laughter. "Did I stutter? You're gonna be dealing with one of the classics; you know that, right?"

"I've dealt with ladies like you before," Lien retorted. "Your partners, for example, the shameless ninja and the karate girl. I'm not surprised you'd be the one to take up the challenge next – you could help me complete the trifecta today..."

"I know enough about you to know you lucked out on those fights – if you think you got the rabbit's foot by your side, you'll find out real quick it'll be up your ass in a minute."

Lien shook her head in disagreement to the French fighter's threat, accompanying her pompous grin. "Hmph... doubtful."

King continued briefly, "And I bet compared to what you know of my partners, you've got nothing else on the mind, _mon amie_."

"Are you sure you want to hold promises you can't keep? Don't think I know how your career's been going, 'Ms. Illusion'..."

King scoffed again. "One of the biggest bars in England. You should know, being a natural-born Brit and all. You think that's all that hard to find out nowadays?"

Lien retorted, "Never did I say I was starting off with the difficult stuff... but if you're ever so willing, shall we continue with this trivial pursuit, Cécile?

From the moment that last word came out of that assassin's mouth, King's mind fizzled for half a second. Her family and friends were the ones who most often referred to her by her real name, and that was still on occasion. Anyone else who did the same only did it to get in her head.

She drew Lien in for the initial encounter, but now she was at the Brit's full attention. However, she was not going to let up to the mind-games just yet...

Approaching just a slight bit closer, King followed her brief silence with an answer. "Go ahead – try me."

_**FIGHT!** _

Before anything further came of the heated debate, Lien thwarted an initial sucker-punch that swung out, tucking the punching arm under her own and shoving her against the bar table.

The personal interrogations started from there. "First things first – your utterly lackluster lovelife; would've figured you'd long before integrated into the Sakazaki family. Is it because you _fear_ the commitment?"

King flung a foot backwards against Lien's ankle to clip her down, before throwing her over her shoulder with a hip toss. As Lien landed carefully, King showed some fair discontent, as that little topic of discussion was slowly becoming stale.

" _Everyone's_ got a finger into that pool now," she said. "I've said it before, I'll say it again – it's _complicated_."

Lien lifted herself back to her feet. "Everything's 'complicated' with you, isn't it?" She dashed forward and lunged forward several wild punches that were blocked and weaved with ease by King; the Illusion bar owner then countered with some swiping kicks across one side of the assassin's head and then the other before giving her the ol' heave-ho over a table that nearly toppled once Lien's body tumbled over it.

Lien just barely managed to land back on her feet again, meeting one side of the table while her opponent took the other. "Suppose it's not your close friends that'd fear what I know... but your family?"

As Lien grabbed one of the wooden chairs and jabbed it at her opponent, King was still not too willing to let her mind crack, as she was considering the shift of topics as a bit more of a bluff than usual. "You're aiming low – but given the chance to actually _meet_ my family, I doubt you'd do any real damage with what you bring to the table."

The Muay Thai specialist thrusted a mid-aiming roundhouse kick towards the chair blocking her way, and as a blotch of flame soared through, the _Venom Strike_ obliterated the wood.

Lien was very briefly impressed with the power that projectile brought through just the furniture. "Fair point – I suppose your brother's taken enough troubles from the world around him..."

Perhaps that was the first real sign of cracks forming in King's head from the mind-games being played – she came up close to the assassin before her and linked a few kicks together in a combo that ended in a rough pushing boot square in the center of Lien's bosom. It seemed a touch more aggressive than before...

A slight bit dragged out by the stamina needed for those hard mid-section kicks, King retorted. "Alright – aiming for my family, I get what you're doing; singling Jan out, though? You're just _trying_ to piss me off."

"Don't try to deny that it's working," Lien responded.

She followed up with another punch that was clutched out by the opposition. However, as she was expecting that, she managed to catch King in the gut with a knee below where she looked, and for a moment, Lien was clearly leading in the running of the bout as she broke through King's half-assed guard.

Lien eventually had King pinned against the main table of the whole bar room, her heeled boot pressing against the midsection of the tapster's formal vest as she leaned in close on the Frenchwoman. "Care to also admit you're just drinking away your problems time and time again? Maybe that's why you opened a bar to begin with, hmm?"

"Nngh...! Go to hell..." King thrusted a knee below the belt to level Lien slightly, and then followed up on that. " _Double Strike_!" _Two_ fireballs were flung the Brit's way, kicked through by King like soccer balls aiming straight for the goalie's face, and Lien took the brunt of both of them as she tumbled back against another one of the round tables scattered about the room.

Lien was growing impatient with the fight more often than not going her way, that she somehow managed to tear the top board of the table off its stand; she took the advantage with that makeshift weapon as she charged forward to again pin King against the long table. The wood proved strong, pressing harshly against King's gut, and she struggled for a little while before deciding to just solve it with more kicks – she swung a leg up and the table piece splinted down the middle, before overpowering the femme fatale and shoving the folded-in wood towards her way.

King continued to defend herself, "I've been putting my talents to good use, just happened to involve the drinks, is all – you wouldn't understand that, even if it kicked you in the face." Fittingly enough, afterwards, King lunged in again with a jumping _Tornado Kick_ that Lien managed to mostly brace to absorb some of the damage.

"We've _both_ made our career choices for a reason – a reason neither of us would want to relive, clearly." Lien's arms kept at a bent and raised position to block the incoming strikes.

King continued to drive her opponent way with her speedy feet, keeping up on the offense for the undetermined future. "Then you might want to shut up before you say something you regret."

"I won't have any regrets if it means I win in some way or another." Lien attempted a left-handed spinning backfist, but it was mostly stuffed and forced back. Eventually, though, her crawling deeper into the enforcing blows being flung at her eventually paid off before long, as she caught King by her right leg and pushed further, again forcing the both of them against the main table. "Speaking of... I know _you_ certainly have a lot to regret about your past work – and about how you identified yourself."

One word, one warning, out of King. " _Don't._ "

"You were at war with your sex, were you not?" By this point, Lien was bending King's leg at a bad angle, intensifying the struggle a slight bit more after the French blonde gave out a punch across her face. "You had to hide who you really were to get by in Southtown, and what did that earn you?"

This whole verbal beatdown she was being forced to take left King to struggle towards a way out. To the left, just out of the corner of her eye, she recognized that glass, and the sharp chunk broken off of it. She lingered out a hand towards it while pushing aggressively against Lien's face with the other, but it was suddenly swiped away from her reach, and its pointed end was jabbed right into her left hip.

" _AGH!_ " King grunted sharply as the glass stabbed into her, buried halfway through her hip. Nothing in Elisabeth's rules against stuff like this, unfortunately, so she had to take the punishment.

Lien's clutch on the shard twisted slightly as she breathed with further venom against her opponent. "This pain you feel right now? I bet it was nothing like the nightmare you went through at the L'Amor... and no matter how much you'd like to forget, that was the peak of your career." Lien shoved King harder against the table and the jagged glass threatened to burrow deeper and thicken the stain of blood beneath the French woman's purple garb.

"You can fight through these tournaments with Yuri, with Mai, with whoever you can find comfort with, but you'll never escape the past..." Lien's grim words vibrated far too deep against her foe; she was up close with one of King's ears by this point, whispering intensely. "You'll never escape what you were best known for...

… _being Mr. Big's_ _ **bitch.**_ "

Two ticks of utter silence fell... and then Lien felt an abrupt thump of force walloping her in between the legs; King had swung her left leg upwards, her kneecap crashing in with enough force to damn near crack her cunt through the tight clothing. The kick seemed so strong in its snapping force that it _lifted_ Lien a couple inches off her feet just before she fully realized the power and let her legs nearly quake underneath herself.

Though the Brit was more aggravated by the strike than in pure pain, she was in for some worse things to come if that silent anger across King's face wordlessly said anything – and then the bar-owner did a backflip that sent one of her feet kicking straight up against Lien's jaw, flung her across the combat zone and sent her crashing through another one of the tables, smashing it into a mess of splintered wood.

The dust settled for a brief moment between the blondes doing battle – but Lien was _not_ completely out of the running just yet, as she was still moving, although slowly as the two crushing blows against her took her down pretty badly. She was even coughing up a bit of blood as at least one tooth in her mouth seemed out of place, dripping some redness on the nice carpeted floor.

"I tried to warn you..." King's voice run out from beyond the chunks of the furniture covering Lien's way – just barely, she saw the French kicker extract the glass from the side of her waist, only barely flinching, and hold it within her grasp with a casual flair.

"Now I'm already done with your bullshit." King lobbed the red-tipped glass shard a slight into the air, and then flung herself in a spin to kick it across – its target was clear and technically landed itself against it... even if it only landed onto one of the glowing green ornaments pieced about on the shoulders of Lien's jumpsuit.

It still did a number, as the glass buried deep enough to knick into Lien's shoulder beneath the gear and caused her to wince slightly in pain. She didn't see the next move coming, as King leapt over the broken table and smashed her foot against the side of Lien's face to knock her back down, and then stomped down against the Brit's neck to _keep_ her down.

King then said, "If you think I'm willing to back down from the torture, you got another thing coming."

Even as the boot of the beautiful kicker squeezed down against her throat to try "Just as I thought – so angry... but _so stupid_." The glowing charge in the damaged orb fizzled out by this point... and then started to emit an ominous smoke of green.

It didn't take long for King to notice the smoke spreading like wildfire around the scene. "Ah, _dammit_..." With the green fog slowly enveloping the world around her, King had to fight through with an obscured vision, especially once Lien somehow managed to sneak out of the situation beneath the foot pressing against her. " _Putain de merde,_ " she briefly cursed in her home language. " _Fils de pute,_ where are you!?"

For a little less than a minute beyond this moment, King had to slowly maneuver her way through such a battered battleground of a bar-room as the fog thickened and left her having to avoid tripping over the scattered pieces of wood left around the room. It definitely felt a lot longer with the struggle to see being ongoing, but she started to feel rewarded by the end as she saw the silhouette of Lien walking by, seemingly attempting to attack her first.

She swung a kick around with a blind-ish roundhouse... but the silhouette ducked so smoothly, and reacted with its own attack, as half-expected – although the other half of her didn't expect such a clonking blow on the back of her head, as something really hard and _metallic_ smashed behind her skull and nearly knocked her straight onto her face on the ground.

King spent the next minute on the ground, writhing momentarily as the potential concussion seemed to set its course. Facing up towards the fog-obscured ceiling, she saw nothing but a dark green for a moment... until a brighter green glow faded into her sights alongside the silhouette of that assassin. Sporting a pair of goggles that helped her through the smoke, Lien looked down at her opponent, clutching onto the metal gauntlet on her right wrist, giving an implication of just what exactly struck King down. Although the assassin seemed so cocksure at the moment, there was no hiding the depleted stamina from the match gone by, as she had a bit of a short breath within her.

Despite the significant exhaustion throughout, Lien 'lamented' the sudden downfall of the woman beneath her. "Such a shame, really. You were prepared to fight for the opportunity – but when your anger gets the best of you, you don't seem to think in regards of _everything_ going on around you."

As she taunted down to her opponent, her foot suddenly crashed down against King's left knee, the same one that earlier tried to knock the advantage out of the assassin after she pressed too many buttons. She stomped _several times_ , in fact, to the point where one of the final stomps of the set seemed to emit a bit of a crunch – something had definitely broken there.

"Ugh... _brûle en l'enfe—_ eagh!" Retaliating to the potentially shattering blows she took to the leg, King swung a punch upwards at her opponent, but just like at the very start of the match, it was caught into Lien's arms, and she reeled the bar owner much closer as she clung onto King with an enclosing choke-hold.

The smoke was slowly fading away as the air conditioning of the room dealt with it personally, and when everything cleared up – especially for the cameras that were obscured for minutes on an end all the while – the central image was of Lien keeping her body close to King's, strangulating her opponent with tightened arms. King's face was forcibly pressed against the sizable bosom of the assassin – normally, that would seem like an absolute wet dream for most people, but when it was a combination of Lien's pair smothering King with no restraint, and her arms tightening around the French foe's neck, it would feel so much closer to a sensual nightmare if anything.

As she spent more time within the asphyxiating hold, King's struggles grew less and less successful as she swung fists wildly against Lien's back, and her legs flailed beneath with a feeling of helplessness. Her body had fallen too deep to the struggle that she wasn't able to think or fight properly by this point.

Eventually, King's sight fell into a blur – at least as much of a blur as she could see beyond the skin of her opponent's chest – as it all set in around her. She gradually lost the feeling of her whole body piece by piece, from her arms and then her legs, as she faded out of consciousness. By the time she was freed from the clutch, she was limp and her mind was blacked out as her body laid flat against the floor.

Lien looked down with an accomplished grin on her face, examining the unconscious body before her, as it was her latest 'work of art' in her long line of defeated fighters.

" _Bonne nuit,_ madam..." The lick of taunting French escaped her tongue as she lined a finger across her defeated, unconscious opponent's straightened lips, and the assassin loomed over the other's body for a while longer before leaving the scene amongst the eerie silence of the match's aftermath.

**WINNER: Lien Neville**

Another of the _King of Fighters'_ first generation had fallen in the first-round – things were likely to be more intense from here...

* * *

Lien Neville's victory rung through the competition – those who won and those who had yet to compete were certainly put on notice, perhaps further so than earlier victors with such a threatening edge like Vice and Nagase.

Alice, among the more novice fighters of the remaining bunch, was no exception to the intimidated collective, being rattled to the bone by the defeat of one of her more experienced partners by the hands of the hostile Brit.

"Are you _really_ that surprised?"

Alice's eyes eeked to the right – had grazed up to her at the moment, slightly sweaty and fresh off her own match some minutes before the Lien/King bout. Compared to the Fatal Cutie, Nagase knew a thing or two about Lien, and she surprisingly looked impressed, and for good reason.

Nagase admitted, "I've seen the shit she can do, personally – say what you want, but she's no slacker on her craft. Just be lucky she didn't straight up break your friend's neck."

Upon the end of that last sentence, Nagase swiped a palm across the backside of Alice's short-shorts, before she confidently scampered off on her own accord. The self-taught Southtowner was standing almost comatose in reaction to the previous match's end up until this point, where she was sparked with confusion over that weird ninja girl that she barely knew. She had _several_ questions already.

"W-wait, who-!?" Before she could finish her sentence, Alice watched Nagase vanish from her sight in a puff of flame, and her brief run stopped as quickly as it began.

She was truly by herself at the moment – and it truly set in that this tournament was likely going to give her hell from the first round beyond.

"...Aw, _fuck_..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Ms. Garnet Nakata is in for a lot of shit, I imagine... find out who she's slated to face off against next time! Also maybe a little bit of a look at how some of the losers are dealing with their injuries – maybe someone new will cameo... ;)


	16. Round 1: Alice Garnet Nakata vs. Angel

With all the combat ensuing around the mansion, it would be surprising if there _weren't_ some clear injuries going about during just the first round alone – as mentioned very occasionally over the past nine matches, competitors have had to get their injuries tended to, and separate rooms were incorporated between the losers and the winners who came out of their bouts with some damage taken.

By this point, as seen not much earlier on, B. Jenet was the only one to have come and gone from the room, as she got off a bit easy in her defeat compared to most of the other losers, and King had yet to arrive after her loss, although it wouldn't be surprising if she was in the process of being taken in to this room. As for everyone else...

Vanessa was kind of a disheveled mess at the moment after Luong whooped her ass to hell and back – and her hair was ruffled and powered by the chunks and dust from the wall that she crashed her head through. Outside of the concussion, she didn't seem in too bad condition, and she was looking to go straight back to the alcohol once she checked out of the hospital… room... place. Arina was a similar case to Vanessa, being plastered with concrete after being blown _completely_ through a wall unlike the boxing agent.

Sylvie probably experienced among the most damage in the end and aftermath of her match – getting splashed into a malfunctioning mess was not good on her generally-boggled mind. Ash's fit of flames towards her way didn't help anything to her condition. Regardless, she _seemed_ positive with her happy-ish nature, even though she was covered in sooth, zap marks and was overall still relatively wet from the water spirits quote-unquote 'blessing the rains' down on her.

Fio – yeeeaah, forget what was initially stated about Sylvie; it was the young soldier who took more of a toll following the punishment _she_ took at the hands of the Hakkesshu. She was still only barely conscious by this point, and thank god it wasn't any worse...

The conditions of Malin and Kisarah were amusingly similar, their clothes in the midst of a mess after being blown away in similar fashions by Nagase and Athena respectively. They were in very stable conditions regardless, although Malin had freshly regained consciousness in comparison.

And then we come to the cosplayer, Kyoko – a girl who didn't ask for all this insanity yet should've known what she was getting into to begin with. She was likely thankful that her Kyo costume wasn't _too_ roughed up, as she was paired with Moe Habana, someone who was willing to respectfully compete against her despite the inexperience of the cosplayer. Chizuru insisted, by Elisabeth's request, that she stayed in that room while the other defeated competitors gradually piled in throughout the first round's proceedings.

Though her fight was a fair ways back – being the very first of the whole tournament – Kyoko was still a bit sore, likely a side effect to her inexperience, and her pain tolerance being fairly low compared to those who had _legitimate_ experience. Wrapping herself in the plain white sheets of the bed, she groaned with such a mild annoyance to her surroundings.

"Are you feeling okay with your accommodations, miss?"

Kyoko muffled out another peevish groan at the polite voice that approached her. She was too bunched in her sheets to bother looking at who she assumed ( _rather correctly, to admit ahead_ ) was a nurse that Elisabeth appointed just for the tournament, and by this point, the cosplayer just wanted to get out of hospice and move on with her normal life.

"Someone's a little turd-faced today, eh?" Malin had the bed on the right side of Kyoko's, and despite her somewhat more fucked condition compared to the cosplayer, she seemed to be feeling at most decent in her recovery.

Shifting around a little to poke her head out from her bed-sheet cocoon, Kyoko spoke out. "You ever just feel like you should've just stayed in bed?"

Malin responded after a brief thought, "Yeah... not really... sounds like you're just sort of a lightweight to this whole 'fighting' thing."

Kyoko recognized the analogy the speedy girl tried to put together, and was quick to sandbag it. "Don't think that makes as much sense as it does for getting drunk."

Malin stuttered briefly. "I'm trying to—I just got blasted with fuckin' fire, alright?" She gestured to her burnt clothing as evidence to what she went through to a losing effort – the chi-explosion she took definitely set a difference between her and the cosplayer's conditions. "I'm not exactly focused on caring about you right now..."

" _No one_ cares about me – and I guess that's for a reason; I'm just some Kyo fanboy."

"Ugh – don't be like that," Malin stated some assurance towards the cosplayer. "You're a Kyo fanboy that _didn't_ become a bawling mess after one fight. If anything, that's worth appreciating yourself for – you just shouldn't give a fuck about what everyone else says and do you... or whatever kind of cliched bullshit they say sometimes."

Kyoko would be lying to herself in saying the pep talk wasn't effective – even then, it was kind of an odd bit of assurance to boot. "...Uh, thanks?"

"Trying what I got," said Malin. "I have dreams, too – kinda wanna bang my crush like it's the main event to a porno."

"...Ooookay..."

"Who knows, maybe you'll get laid someday, too."

"Do you think it'll be with Kyo?" The cosplayer asking the true questions.

And Malin provided... uncertain answers. "That... sorta depends if he and Yuki stop getting it on. Just... hold onto hope or somethin'."

For a young kid with a rascally attitude, Malin was certainly trying to make a point with the cosplayer – even if it wasn't the most optimal sort of advice that Kyoko was being given, it was better than nothing.

"I... don't see why you need this many pillows..." That maybe-nurse was heard behind Kyoko again, talking with the person in bed to the cosplayer's left...

"Teeheheheee~! I can't help it, they're so comfy!" Sylvie's grating voice sounded off, _immediately_ irritating Kyoko down to her core.

The cosplayer rolled over, _still_ wrapped in her sheets. "Alright, could you just shut uuuuu _whoooaaa butt!_ "

She was expecting a messy fort around the electrified idol's bed by this point, having dealt with the girl for most of the day – what she was not expecting to see was an up-close look at a well-endowed booty, belonging to the rather revealing maid's outfit of the obedient black-haired caretaker.

"Is something the problem?" The feathery-attired servant, simply known as Iroha, asked, paying some worry to the Kyo fangirl after that outburst. She was met with nothing but an overwhelmed silence from the now-blushing Kyoko.

The subtleties in the awkward interaction were not lost on Paula Paula, who delved into a deeper giggly fit. "Pfft-heheheheeh~! She likes your butt!"

The NESTS reject wasn't wrong – she wasn't right either about Cosplayer Kyoko, who simply stared at the surprisingly thick rear of the maid/nurse/whatever-else lady. There was something about the black thong that left barely anything to the imagination that just made it so much of a sight, especially mere inches from where her face was – and this was in a house filled with some ladies with rather sexy apparel – _see: Lien, Mai, Angel, Luong_...

With stuff like that wiggling around in her face, the cosplayer was hoping this place didn't awaken anything in her by the end of the tourney.

* * *

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #10   
** **Alice Garnet Nakata vs. Angel**

The locale of this fight was basically a makeshift gym, and naturally, someone was bound to get some last-minute workouts before their match-up. It was only convenient it was the combat zone for at least one match in the tournament's initial round.

Chucking down a heavy dumbbell like it was as light as a simple feather, Angel brushed the dust off her hands after her good little workout.

All she needed was her vict—erm, opponent, to arrive, and her patience – her usual _lack_ of it, it could be said – was helped by her self-admiration in the nearby full-body mirror sitting on one of the upright columns supporting the ceiling above.

Being among countless enhanced agents as part of NESTS, the biker chick was gifted the strength to throw around just about anything that got in her way, and in the tournament, with her Muay Thai-infused grappling skills, she was ready to give whoever a personal trip to Suplex City.

Angel was quickly fascinated by her sexy-sadist build reflecting off the tall mirror, like an enamored cat – and also like a cat, she purred as she flexed and posed for herself in that mirror. Her toned yet curvy build was somewhat of a redundant feature with the enhancements she gained from the organization, but she was one to be a tease, and to be the sexy beast she wanted to be. If given the chance to fuck herself, she _definitely_ would.

"Yep... still lookin' as hot as ever—"

Suddenly, she was propelled forward towards the mirror by a rushing knee straight to the spine – thankfully she managed to stop herself from completely crashing into and shattering that mirror, but it didn't cushion her frustration towards the sneak attack.

Speaking of the attack _er_ – having delivered the surprise strike, Alice succeeded in what she wanted to do to start the match, getting one over on her opponent from the very start of the fight. She cheered to herself, "Yes~! Now's my chance!" Aaaaand then Alice got promptly tackled to the cold, hard ground by the Mexican vixen.

Angel's broad smile of sadistic retaliation read like a Cheshire cat. "Oh, so you wanna play like that, eh, _puta?_ " She grabbed Alice and lifted her back to her feet with ease. "Alright then – let's play!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Angel initially engaged her fair share of combat by tightening Alice into a headlock and charging back towards the mirror. Cushioned only, and just barely, by her ' _Fatal Fury_ ' cap, Alice was smashed head-first into the glass mirror, putting a heavy crack in the middle of it as she crashed into it, and was left to stumble to her knees in grogginess.

The young blonde was _definitely_ regretting that sneak attack, and how it was gradually meaning completely nothing after that early blow to her head. The hairline crack of the mirror, chipping out bits of glass, somehow only managed to slightly scratch up Alice's head, so not enough to render blood.

Angel was _very_ willing to change that, however, as she grabbed Alice by her hair and hat, ready to deliver more punishment. "You want some more, little girl~!?", she asked, already having decided the answer

"N-no!" Alice thrusted a couple of kicks forward at Angel's toned abs, barely budging her. A following slap across the Mexican psycho's face caused more of a significant flinch, but her right hand remained on Alice's increasingly disheveled hair as she slowly made a pace around.

Angel again aimed for the broken mirror, like a dart towards a dartboard, and rushed ahead for it again – but when she started to shove Alice's face forward, the Fatal Cutie halted the advance with a foot pressing against the mirror from just inches to impact. Surprisingly, she settled a bit of a concrete position that kept Angel from fully enacting another smashing attack – and even more surprising was that Alice managed to hoof her other foot against the wall before enacting a decent if slightly sloppy wall-run up and over into a backflip that brought her behind her opponent.

Alice harshly shoved Angel against the mirror-holding pillar, but the NESTS agent braced the impact, her leather-jacket wrapped bosom cushioning against the mirror as she clung onto the column. Angel blindly thrusted a kick behind herself, managing to nail Alice in the gut as she walked backwards, did a back-to-back roll over Alice to again reverse the situation, and tossed her across with a backwards snapmare into a crossface-style headlock on the ground.

Angel's fingers fish-hooked on both sides of Alice's mouth, pulling so roughly on the Fatal Cutie with no holding. She purred, "I can't help but make girls like you scream – it gets me so _hot_ sometimes!" She pulled harder on the last couple emphasized words, forcing another shriek out of Alice as she struggled to escape.

Eventually, somehow, Alice used her pure power – whatever she was able to build up at least – and managed to get herself and her adversary to their feet. Jabbing continually with rough elbows, she soon found herself being released from the hold as Angel changed up her plans and went straight to her pure Muay Thai strikes starting with a swinging high kick that swiped across Alice's face with ferocity.

This left Alice's cap hanging much looser on her head, nearly hanging by an ear as she stumbled back into her fighting pose and continued to engage the rebellious NESTS agent with punches that had a dangerously high rate of failing whiffs. This wound up leading her into the wrong end of another headlock as Angel's arms threatened to crunch around the Fatal Cutie's neck.

Ultimately, Alice decided to rely on her cap for an advantage, pulling it down over Angel's head until it enveloped over the front of her face.

Angel realized the hat covering her a little too late, and her frustration muffled harshly. "Mmph! Whmm d'mm f'hmmk!?" As she struggled with the hat that obscured her sight, she couldn't see her opponent sliding under, between her legs, to get behind her.

Alice took the opportunity as best as she possibly could, by kicking square in the middle of her spine and then following up by pouncing over her from behind. Alice's knees intended to drive Angel down onto her face, but if she wanted to be sure gravity was on her side for the attack, she would want to make sure the hat stretched over her opponent's face didn't wind up slipping off partway. _It did._

The cap escaping the snag over her face, Angel quickly got her bearings back and tossed the young blonde off and over, forcing them back into the idle, face-to-face position.

The enhanced fighter had to know there was no more playing around with her adversary, especially since Alice actually managed a bit of good offense on her. Angel was ready to put those NESTS enhancements to further use, as she dashed towards Alice with such speed that she _teleported through_ the girl and confused the hell out of her.

"Over here, _cabrón._ " Angel swung a piercing elbow straight to the back of Alice's skull, reeling her forward into a deep grogginess. The combo continued as she translocated back to the front of Alice and kneed her upside the jaw, then warped behind her with another elbow that aimed at the bottom of her spine to leave her stinging all over.

This culminated in Angel draping an arm across Alice's body and dropping her straight to the ground with _not_ the ' _Rock Bottom_ ' – but rather the legally-distinct ' _Blue Monday Parade_ ', to leave the Fatal Cutie spread out on the hard flooring of the 'gym'. Angel's pro-wrestling inspiration knew no bounds, for sure, as she took her time with the downed opposition, providing some speedy theatrics with some teleporting dashes all around before preparing to drop the elbow with the ' _Survivor's Banquet_ '.

Although still muddled mentally after taking such a harsh slam to the solid flooring, Alice was able to still have enough of her mind to panic and roll away at the last second – this led Angel's maniacal elbow to crash into nothing but the floor, and if the ' _Parade_ ' provided a devastating landing on its own, then intentionally driving an elbow against someone meant a larger risk if it missed, and it definitely did; Angel recoiled her arm in a mixture of pain and frustration as she slowly dragged herself back to her feet.

Meanwhile, while looking to catch her breath before capitalizing on her rare opportunity to get the KO, Alice was standing a few feet away, semi-numb at the core as she prepared for a running start.

"It's over!" Alice proclaimed loudly as she dashed ahead and clobbered Angel first with another knee, then bopped her upside with a fist dropping down.

The next strike was to get a bit of a footstool stomp over and swipe her adversary's face straight into the pavement, hopefully delivering the knockout blow – with another short running start, Alice was at a good start with the footstool, but as she started to leap over, she instead found herself draping over one of Angel's shoulders, as if she got stuck on something.

In case you were wondering, yes, poor Alice was stuck – although in a quite awkwardly interesting way, as the front half of her stair-stomping right foot found itself burrowing straight into Angel's cleavage and getting locked into an unintentional, and amusingly literal, booby-trap

It didn't take very long for Angel to realize Alice's opportunity ruined itself, and the jacket-clad agent laughed at the expense of the novice blonde. "Seriously? Get that shit outta here!" She dropped Alice with a slam that was partially in a 'Samoan Drop' position, and then distanced herself from her opponent after leaving her laying, with much assumption that she managed something close to a KO.

After a moment to wipe the dust on her leather jacket, built from grazing against the floor again and again, Angel eventually looked back once she still heard her opponent groaning. "Ugh – you still cryin', kid?"

Admittedly, there was a reason for Alice's vocal discomfort – it wasn't necessarily because of that slam she just took, but rather the horrific pain in her right ankle. Getting it stuck within Angel's cleavage was bad enough for the Fatal Fury fangirl – but she swore she felt and _heard_ something snap down there, and her assumption was unfortunately correct. "Ugh, god... _dammit_ , I think I broke something..."

The injury situation was a little fascinating for Angel, who just casually taunted, "Maybe try walkin' it off? To me, something like that's less than a papercut."

Although it probably wasn't the best idea, the fighting spirit Alice kept close to her heart was considering it. "Might as well – I'm not going down like _that_." She slowly helped herself to her feet, and all _almost_ looked well... but then her right foot cricked at an awful angle once she tried standing on it, and she flopped back down. "Ahh~! _Fuckfuckfuck_ , I'm going down like that... _oh goddammit_..."

Before long, Alice was rendered to agonized whimpers, almost driven to tears as she held her broken ankle close in a partial fetal position. She fucked up her chances, fucked them up _badly_...

Angel simply rolled her eyes and started walking away. "Pussy."

**WINNER (by default): Angel**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, the action's kinda getting me worked up a little bit, since I needed to make sure each and every match got some good action at least, even if some matches wound up more one-sided than the standard. That's part of why I usually have a segment with some outside-action interactions, the other building some developments around the tourney. Also, I'm gonna post a non-KOF story soon, too, so there might be a little wait for the next chapter, and slightly longer than that for the next match.
> 
> Next Chapter: A little bit of cooldown between matches as we catch up on a few winners of previous matches – or will it be just more heat to the flame as lust spreads through the air?


	17. INTERLUDE: The Blaze, In Heat

The Psycho Soldier knew from the start that putting on that old-school attire, while having the growing body she developed over some years, was a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen – and she was right. Ever since the end of her preliminaries, Athena chose to repress herself to her room and just hang around on her bed, watching the next few matches ensue. Eventually, she decided she was taking the most uneventful approach to her awkward ordeal, and started considering methods to seal up the tear in her spats so she wouldn't wind up going around the mansion for the rest of the tournament with her butt exposed to the elements.

It was around between the Lien/King and Alice/Angel matches that finally decided to go wandering around for the nearest bathroom – which she reached without problems, or encounters.

However, as soon as she came up to the door, it swung open and the edge of it slapped her face, knocking her down. Given the situation at hand, it was basically insult to injury. _Tremendous._

Clearly someone was finishing up their business, as the finalizing flush heard prior seemed to confirm.

As Athena held her nose from the door mostly swiping across it on impact, that 'someone' was heard from the other side. "Whoop~! Oops, I'm sorry...!"

And that 'someone' was Mignon, another of those who advanced to the next round of the tournament. As soon as she got a glance at on the ground, her brief worry turned into a wee giggle at the expense of her 'rival'. "Nevermind – Mignon rescinds her 'sorry'."

Athena sighed, having no time for the witch after just two sentences from her. "You again. Could you excuse me for a second? I gotta sort things out..."

Mignon responded by stretching a leg across one side of the doorway while leaning on the other, further denying Athena's entry. "Tut-tut, Asamiya – we have much to discuss." She awkwardly had her hands behind her back, as if to look a little more smug.

"No, we don't," Athena retorted. "Please, step aside."

Athena started to push through the stupid blockade, but Mignon's attempts to settle herself into a concrete position kept her at bay, especially when the witch propped her other leg across the doorway, leaving that the only thing keeping her from sliding down and planting herself on her butt... for all of five seconds before exactly _that_ happened.

Athena knew how stupid was Mignon starting to make herself look, but she decided she had to deal with this situation first and foremost. "Okay... what do you want?"

Mignon was getting up and dusting herself off as she explained herself, "Rivals are meant to clash time and time again – and after the stunt _you_ wound up in, you should know the consequences."

It was only a matter of time before that incident was brought into discussion – while certainly embarrassing, Athena powered through her slightly blushy self. "'Consequences'? I _kinda_ doubt that – this whole tournament's a private matter, it won't be hard to just forget it happened. You'd understand that, right?"

Mignon's expression grew sheepishly clever, and her hands hid deeper behind her back.

Reading the expression of the witch before her, Athena started to feel whelmed by confused suspicion, and sensing the jumpy aura of the pink oddity gave further results. "Mignon – I can tell you want to say _something_. Just tell me."

" _Welllll..._ it _could_ be forgotten... but Mignon's phone _might_ say otherwise..." Deciding to hide a little secret no longer, Mignon unveiled one of her delicately gloved hands, and her smartphone, as pink as her hair, shone with an image taken of one of the mansion's TVs, with the contextless image of a post-bout Athena bent over in her torn-open shorts looking very clear in the center of it.

The moment may not have lasted forever, but a picture speaks longer – as soon as that thought came to mind, Athena realized something was on the witch's mind about it, but no words were yet said before Mignon spoke up herself.

The colorful witch said to solder the silence, "I bet it looks bad to relive – and it'll probably be worse once it 'leaks out'..."

Athena knew _immediately_ what the pinkette meant, and she was kinda irritated with the desperate ply from the get-go. "Oh god, here we go..." She rolled her eyes as Mignon started a bit of a monologue to explain herself further...

"Part of your career is the image you uphold, is it not? To be the role model for the next generation?" Mignon's explanation was reeking of more than a slight cliché by this point. "What would you think would happen if all your young fans saw the exposure of a whole different side of the Psycho Sold—"

"Oh, _shut up..._ "

Being interrupted left Mignon a little flummoxed. "Uh, w-wha~?"

Athena's arms crossed with complete unamusement. "You're seriously trying that 'embarrassment on the internet' plan on someone like me? I've had more than enough teenage fans plop messages on my social media about how much they'd want to sleep with me in _way too much_ detail than necessary. Weren't your initial plans just to want to find out if your powers were stronger than mine?"

Mignon's composure slowly started to collapse as she was quickly called out. "I-I was getting to that part! I was gonna-"

Athena abruptly finished the sentence for the shrill girl. "'-ransom you over the butt pic for a match once and for all to settle who has the better magic.' There, I just saved you a bit of breath – now be 'the good witch' and just delete the photo and we can hopefully settle it when the second round comes, okay?"

Panicking for an alternate plan on the spot, Mignon hid the phone away from Athena's reach. "N-no! I won't let you get the better of me yet!"

Athena scoffed at that statement. "Well, if your initial plan doesn't mean anything anymore for it, then what else could you use it for?"

"You'll see! We'll bump shoulders again soon enough – but for now, _I gotta go_." Mignon attempted to scamper past, but Athena stretched her arms around and blocked the witch's path in return – a little bit of a role-reversal to a moment earlier with Mignon now being the one who was struggling. "Nng! Hey, let me go!"

Athena was dealing with the struggling goofball quite easily, and she smiled confidently at her quote-unquote 'rival'. "Toss the photo and _maybe_ I'll consider it."

Mignon hissed like an angered kitten as she tried to claw at Athena's back – but her gloves had no sort of sharpness to actually cling on to the Psycho Solder. "Ergh, how dare you!? You're going to be showing even _more_ skin when Mignon's done with you!"

Athena continued to reason, "You're doing a better job embarrassing _yourself_ than you are to me. Might as well just-"

"NO!"

Mignon tackled her 'rival' down to the ground, and it was culminating in a rolling mess of a catfight where both girls were clinging onto Mignon's phone in a power struggle – a ridiculous little scene was being made with barely anybody on location to witness the clash.

Well, maybe one person was. " _Ah, mon dieu_ , get a room, you two..."

Winding up on the bottom of a compromising position beneath Mignon, Athena was the first of the two to recognize the red figure of Ash leaning by the corner of the hall, looking on with his signature smugness.

Having sensed an intriguing essence ( _moreso than the Hakkesshu_ ) around the mansion, throughout the proceedings of the tournament, the Psycho Soldier had a feeling the guy was at least a spectator, but Athena chose to let it be since she doubted Elisabeth would've allowed Ash anything further than that. From the positioning and posture of how the French enigma stood, and the confidence of his aura, he had been standing by for more than a little while.

Awkwardly staring ahead alongside an uneased Mignon, Athena finally piped up. "...How much of our conversation did you hear?"

Ash replied, "Don't be so worried about it, _petit_ – I only heard the whole thing... and if anything, I'm siding with you."

Slightly disturbed by the presence of the flame-bearer, Mignon whimpered in worry for her awkward ego. "Mignon doesn't like being outnumbered here..."

"Calm yourself, kitty – I'm not here to hurt you... at least, not physically." Grabbing onto her shoulders, Ash lifted Mignon off of Athena's prone body and settled a position behind the witch. "As for your plan – well, Athena said it best; too many horny boys worshiping the ground she stands on to ever turn against her for one measly pic. In fact, it'd probably make her even more of a valuable piece of ass than before."

Athena blushed as she almost let the concept get to her head. "I... I wouldn't say that..." She giggled awkwardly as she fiddled with some of her hairs that were hanging loose from the disheveling rustle.

"You were _definitely_ thinking it, though." Ash was still grasped onto Mignon's shoulders, almost leaning against her as he spoke. "Even the most pure spirits tend to have a dirty thought or two about the guys who want to get with them – and you're absolutely bound to find someone to _bond_ with, if you catch my drift. As for this fruitcake... well, maybe luck will come your way."

Speaking of, Mignon was almost frozen stiff by this point, over Ash's presence. It was up until this second that she didn't say a word to interrupt, and she eventually commented on the position she found herself in. "Sir... please don't press against me like that," she meekly said.

Unsafe to admit, but Ash _did_ seem to be getting off a little being so close to a girl like Mignon. He kinda figured her as a very manipulable girl, and his excitement showed in a way that was starting to prod against the witch's lower back.

Ultimately, he had to separate himself from Mignon's presence. "Suit yourself... but my door is always open if you're—"

" _No I'm not, not at all!_ " Mignon started to scamper away before the blush on her face made her look like a living tomato, as she again reentered her bombastic shrill tone. "You're such a creep, whoever you are – go prey on Athena if you're so willing to take someone's virginity!"

Ash let his hands rise to his sides, as if he didn't want to really touch on that topic. "Okay, I wasn't going to say anything about you being a virgin—"

" _You were thinking it!_ " Mignon shouted in her interruption. "Lady Blanctorche would be ashamed of you being here... and Mignon would rather leave before this hall is tainted further..."

" _Turn around, sweetie._ "

Mignon immediately turned as demanded and yelped as she was met with the presence of Hakkesshu's duo of Mature and Vice – still looking as vicious as ever despite the redhead being in the midst of recovery from her own earlier bout.

Grimacing with such awkward fear towards everything around her – mainly as she was left scared shitless from this moment – Mignon's bombastic nature again fizzled out as she decided it was best to exit quickly. "...I'm just gonna go before someone else sneaks up behind me." She then scampered off, her cartoonishly bouncy footsteps fading into the distance.

"Yeesh – even if we _don't_ speak of the Devil, it shall appear..." This was how Ash chose to disrespectfully greet the sinister secretaries, before his attention settled on Vice. "How's the stab wound?"

"I'll walk it off," Vice bluntly retorted. Even if it still hurt like hell when it initially happened, she was at least still in one piece unlike earlier life-taking incidents. "Though on any day, I'd rather get stabbed _again_ then bump into you."

Mature spoke up next, "I'm surprised Elisabeth's still letting you hang around – would've figured she'd whip you out to the curb by now..."

"After that whole incident with the electric girl, she'd probably I rather linger around in case someone else tries to have her head." Even Ash knew of how ridiculous Sylvie could be sometimes... "I feel like she'd be worried more about what _you_ might do in this tournament, given your alignments, and your... _violent_ tendencies."

"No shit, Frenchie," said Vice. "No one's fuckin' perfect – like Athena lying by over there. If she had a mind, she'd kick you to the curb on Betty's behalf."

Athena was finally back into focus somewhat, as she started to get up off the ground. "Well... he's not exactly hurting anybody... _not right now_ , at least."

Mature smirked. "And isn't that surprising – after your little malfunction, somehow he _didn't_ pounce on you the moment?" Her focus turned to the man. "That's so unlike what we've expected of you, Ash."

Ash shrugged, completely unashamed by the comments thrown his way. "If I wanted to, I definitely would've tried my chances – but there's plenty of fish around..."

Vice objected, immediately recognizing a slightly sultry glance her and Mature's way from the young man. "If you're looking our way, then look elsewhere, perv." Further emphasizing the collective rejection from the Hakkesshu to the Crimson enigma, Vice allowed her partner a kiss on her hand.

Starting an exit from the scene, Mature declared, "We still have much to prepare for – and it doesn't involve either of you."

The duo strutted past Athena and Ash, passing by a couple doors before walking through the second one down from the bathroom, presumably to where they were appointed.

Feeling as if there wasn't much left to mingle about in that hallway alone, Ash looked about ready to just leave the scene altogether – but the curiosity about the situation left Athena no choice but to catch up to the young man's pursuit. "H-hold on a second!"

"Hmm?" Ash glanced back. "You actually considering a hook-up or something?"

Athena answered, "No, I'd absolutely rather not – but I'm probably _way_ too curious about why _you're_ here... you're not plotting anything, are you?"

Ash scoffed at the seeming accusation that started towards him. "If I was plotting something, I think you'd be able to tell just by reading my essence, and trust me, I _know_ you could."

He wasn't wrong – Athena could often gain insight about what someone could be planning for, just through her psychic output... but it wasn't exactly _perfect_. From the first read, the Psycho Soldier could find nothing in the guy that could trigger code-red in her head. "I... suppose I'm wrong about assuming something out of you."

"See? Nothing to worry about..."

"Though I do read something different – something _heated_ within you." The spiritual reading managed a little bit of a blush out of Athena as a result. "Well, I can see why you thought I was interested in you a second ago..."

Ash's peeking bangs wiggled with a certain confidence as he spoke. "It's almost like a man can't just mingle around and find a piece of tail without someone breathing down their neck..."

"And... you feel no shame about it?"

From how Ash stood his ground with credence, shame was not even a thought in his mind – probably _never_ was... "You think I should? Athena, sweetie, I'm one guy in a mansion full of ladies of all kinds – I think I'm entitled to even a _little_ bit of a harem, no?"

"Gonna be blunt – kinda cliché." Athena's retort was simple but effective.

"Would've figured you as someone who understood that type of stuff to just let it by," said Ash, "given you were born out of Japan. All the anime and manga, all the beautiful fantasies..."

"Yeah, _you_ definitely would assume, given I'm kind of a big deal in the pop idol business, but I wouldn't find the time for it. That and school... and... _oh wow_..." Her side of the conversation started to abruptly melt apart as she blushed harder from sensing _something_.

It kinda caught Ash off-guard, and caused a tiny chuckle out of him. "You okay?"

Athena regained her composure before long. "Uh... sorry, I just... I just felt something _fierce_ coming from over there..." Referring to the door at the side that she and Ash were standing at opposite sides of.

One should again note, that was the room the Hakkesshu ladies had just entered, and in all fairness to the situation, the sounds of something almost akin to fabric tearing could be very faint behind the closed door.

Athena was very hesitant to approach... "I... I don't think I should-"

" _You_ shouldn't – me on the other hand..." Ash was cocksure enough to not let the essence of whatever was 'fierce', plus he didn't have the psychic-reading powers that would overwhelm him just like the Psycho Soldier. He approached, with little caution, towards the door...

Athena said, "I hope they aren't doing anything akin to a sacrifice or something..."

"In Elisabeth's house? I absolutely doubt it..." Ash lingered an eye towards the peephole of the door, and was met with quite the sight. Good news was that the idea of something cultish going on in that room was nothing to worry about – thankfully, it was a lot more sensual...

From what he could make out from the peephole, Vice and Mature had gone from the blood-tasting foreplay that had briefly ensued after the former's match to just plain making out on the bed. Vice looked to be the more dominant side of the fling, as she had already torn through most of Mature's jacket and was on top of her on their bed of choice as she engaged in the intense intertwine of lips and tongue with her partner.

Just ten seconds worth of the action in that room had Ash completely invested, grinning with a bit of a horny edge as he continued to peep through. "Well well... I would've figured, being so inseparable..."

Taking Ash's comments close to mind, in regards to what was going on in there, Athena was starting to understand the _heat_ she was feeling through the door. "I take it there's nothing to worry out of there?"

"Not a bit," he answered back. "If anything, it's something worth seeing."

Athena was relieved, to say the least. "Can't believe I'm saying it, but thanks for that." With that out of the way, she quickly recollected what she was originally going to do before everything took a turn around her. "If you'll excuse me... I still need to-"

"Yeayeayeah, the whole... wardrobe malfunction stuff _,_ " Ash impatiently shooed the goddess-descendant away with one hand, while his other hand roamed down his own chest towards his _lower_ regions. "Just stop talking, _s'il vous plaît?_ "

Without needing to look back, Ash recognized Athena's exit into the bathroom nearby as he kept an eye locked on the door's peekhole and the _action_ ensuing on the other side. There was a risky, perverted art to this unnoticed surveillance that, though he rarely partook in, it still proved intriguing whenever he decided on push forward – especially with the vixens engaged this time around.

By this point, Vice had torn Mature's upper clothing down to the bra, and was grazing her tongue against the blonde's body, from the cleavage and further down. The violent redhead was going straight for her partner's snatch, taking advantage of Mature's already-growing wetness down there while paying no mind having to taste through the layers of clothing she still had on from the waist down.

They were going straight to business, of the sensual enigma, and Ash was incredibly fascinated – although the fascination was mostly built up _down there_ , and his hardness was pinned against his tight pants as he started feeling against it with the leather worn on his hands. Though the ladies of Hakkesshu were vicious in combat, at the moment he couldn't help but imagine the threesome he could have with them, and the orgasmic screams he'd bring out of them...

His left hand was burrowing just beneath the waistband of his pants, slowly fondling up and down his obscured member as he started to consider just resorting entirely to his self-gratifying temptations...

"Ahhh... _le pays de l'amour, après tout_..." Ash started to refer to the locale of this whole place – in the 'land of love', as part of it translated to from his home language, even a bit of _self-love_ was necessary sometimes. [Full French-to-English translation: 'the land of love, after all']

* * *

With no sloppiness in his movement, Ash spun himself backwards and through the barely-open door of the neighboring door to the Hakkesshu love-making, planting himself straight onto the nearest bed as he freed his cock from the prison of tight red leather and let his right hand go on autopilot. He shafted himself with no hesitation to his prime speed, his breathing quiet but gradually heavier as he continued further to his _session_...

The vision of Vice's hungry, roaming lips brushing down Mature's body was still fresh in Ash's head as he started, and he could swear he started hearing louder moans going on, muffled by the walls of this next room, just building to his crotchal pool as he shafted harder on himself, to the point where his clenched right hand smacked against his slightly loose, jingling belt.

Within a couple minutes of being so desperately deep in his twisted fantasy, he was already moaning and cumming over himself – the initial spurts came across like a busted water faucet, splattering onto his shirt with sprinkled white, before the rest oozed like a volcano, down the bottom end of his shaft and over his gloved hand in a messy outcome.

God knows how long it had been since Crimson had last dealt with such an urge, but the safe bet was that it had been a _while_ given the amount that had been expelled out of his loins, how quickly it rose out of him, and his panting exhaustion in the afterglow. He was just looking to be given further comfort once he finished, and it almost seemed like he was being given it as he felt something grazing around his face.

Hands. _Someone else's hands?_

For a moment, Ash felt very awkward about his current situation, almost feeling he was caught cum-handed and he didn't initially notice – those feelings started to evolve towards a more positive direction as he heard a welcoming giggle above. He glanced up and met, after the beautiful pink-clothed bust, the seductive smile and hair-hidden eyes of Shermie, the only one of the bunch who seemed actively interested in him.

The fellow French beauty looked quite acquainted by Ash's presence in the room with her, but she looked more attracted by the mess of cum all over his body. "Oh wow... wouldn't have figured you to have that much in you..."

Admittedly, Ash didn't expect to have a room to herself away from the other Orochi-bound ladies ( _implying the sinister secretaries didn't just bust into someone else's room_ ), but he was welcome to the acquaintance. He smiled with an almost innocent flair beneath what was usually considered as supreme smugness on the surface. " _Pardon_ if I caught you at a bad time – I guess I just needed _somewhere_ to unwind." He started to sit up, but a hand rested against his cum-stained chest as Shermie kept him laying down.

She said, "No-no... there's no need to worry about that – besides, now that you're here, and seeing what you're _capable of_... I'm feeling kinda... _experimental_... if you catch my drift."

Ash caught on quickly to the innuendo... "Hmm~... I've always figured you as being so eager, but not like this..."

Bending and posing with an enchanting edge to it all, Shermie crawled closer to Ash's cock, looking very pleasured already to its semi-erect presence. "When faced with something like this... I just can't help myself." Her lips being moistened by her tongue's roaming nature, she stuck it out and licked down from the base of his cock, the whole way up to his tip, brushing all the dripping cum off.

This earned her a bit of a shiver out of Ash as his cock twitched with newfound life, greeting the vivacious red-head with a silent hello as it re-hardened before her.

"I think it's happy to meet me," Shermie joked as she nuzzled her nose against the tensed penis, laying comfortably between Ash's legs. Despite being aligned with impure evil, she was always so playful, even in battle – it was kinda jarring going from that to her more embracing form whenever she needed to truly get one over her opponent in battle...

Shermie continued to tease the greeting member with kisses up the base until her lips met with the tip. From there, she let the cock give in to her mouth, taking the start of a very sensual voyage as inch upon inch leisurely traveled past her tongue.

Ash's hands showed more gratitude towards the lady giving head than he could with the moans purring out from his throat into closed lips, handling Shermie's delicate face with care as he felt about her features, especially her rose-red hair. Wordlessly begging for more, he wiggled his hips lightly, inching further of himself into her mouth. She greeted back with the start of a slow pace, giving little slurps to the meat straw her mouth was handling as she wiggled her head back to start some motion in it all.

The collective couple seemed to prefer the slower pace with the oral pleasures taking place, a far-away approach from Ash's hard and fast masturbatory ventures just minutes ago – and at this point, there was probably no going back to just handling himself, especially when he caught such a lucky break with the beauty going down on him.

Shermie's pace quickened slightly as she sucked down on her lucky man's length, handling it in her mouth and down her throat with ease. Ambiguous it was, her experience with cocks like this – the same could be said for the other side of the experience, but it was a little more clear on Ash's end that he probably hadn't gotten much in terms of _non-combative_ action the likes of this.

Ash's hands loomed higher and further back on Shermie's head until he eventually started to push down against her, sliding the entirety of his length into her mouth until her lips sank into contact with his base. Nearly drooling at the concept of another ropeful coming out of him, he eventually allowed Shermie a chance to let most of his length escape her mouth. Preparing to take the brunt of the climax, the pink-clad beauty was left with just the tip of her sex partner's cock nesting onto her tongue, as he stroked it to drive himself back to that combustible feeling.

" _Merde, juste là, juste là_... _Nngh~!_ " With a sharp grunt, Ash's cock unloaded for a second time in the space of the past ten minutes, pulsing within his hands and splattering away with beautiful recklessness as Shermie welcomed it onto her tongue. Rope upon rope of the whiteness ensued, nearly creating a mouth-wide pool of the cum in Shermie's mouth, and the sensation of the liquids held on her tongue made her giggle happily. Holding off on swallowing the sperm swirling in her mouth, she climbed up Ash's body, letting her breasts lightly graze past his softening cock, as she eventually met the flame-flinging debonair face-to-face – it was a bit of an interesting choice for her to press her cum-laced lips against his, engaging in a kiss that started to swap the semen between her mouth and his. The sensation of the sticky liquid swirling about in the middle of the rustling tongues between his and her's left Ash a little confused with the idea at first, but he grew to enjoy the taste of himself as he shared the afterglow of his orgasm with the eager lady.

As the two separated their lips from each other, the cum stringed between them in the mixture alongside their combined saliva.

" _Fuck..._ " Ash sighed in the relief of this blissful moment. "You really can do some special things – you should consider porn with a mouth like that..."

Shermie emitted a flattered giggle. "Maybe I could – if you happen to join me." She and Ash met lips again, and the cum load was further lost in the mingling of their spit.

There was no doubt about it, there was a special kind of love forming about between these two French lovebirds, and it seemed this tournament was slowly developing lust all around the place...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Fresh out of the nice and smutty business that ensued here, Shermie dances into action!


	18. Round 1: May Lee vs. Shermie

The observation of the tournament, of all the things potentially going on at once, was not at all an easy task. The self-appointed hostess in Elisabeth had a lot of work that needed to be done, and that included the surveillance, which left her seeing more than she would've really wanted.

" _If I wanted to, I definitely would've tried my chances – but there's plenty of fish around..._ "

" _If you're looking our way, then look elsewhere, perv._ "

The conversations that Ash partook in with some of the participants thus far were about as she'd expect from someone so pompous and arrogant – and that was only the tip of it.

" _Fuck~ ...you really can do some special things... you should consider porn with a mouth like that._ "

" _Maybe I could, if you happen to join me._ "

The camera installed in _that room_ left much to be desired with the angle it provided, but Betty was, beyond what she'd admit, absolutely an unintended witness to the beginning of those naughty ventures around the mansion when Ash found himself alone with one certain individual in Shermie. You wouldn't want to get her started, either, on the animalistic love-making between Vice and Mature that happened at the same time, just one room over. This was all in _one_ interlude between matches, too, so seeing it all happen as the actual physical action wound down for the moment was a jarring experience, one that the prudent noblewoman would rather forget.

"Elisabeth...?"

As her head nearly started to lay against her desk in an attempt to hide away her minor frustrations, Elisabeth almost didn't hear her assistant in Chizuru call out at the doorway to the room.

"Are you alright?" the priestess asked.

Elisabeth sighed, having to admit to herself that things _could've_ been worse – that at least the tournament itself is going smoothly throughout the bulk of the first round. "Yeah... I guess so."

Chizuru looked a tad worked up from previous, unvisited circumstances elsewhere in the building. "Sorry if I was intruding a little on your work – I was busy helping out caretaker to some of the first-round victors... I almost forgot to stop by to see—"

"I'm handling myself _well_ with the proceedings so far, thank you," Elisabeth slightly interrupted. "It's just... there's _other_ things on the mind I've yet to wrap my head around..."

Glancing off to the side towards the various screens at that one wall of the room, Chizuru mostly took notice to the main monitor before the noblewoman, which was replaying the recording of a couple minutes back, of Ash and Shermie in the aftermath of their _hot moment_ together. A little bit whelmed by that intriguing romance, she faintly blushed as things clicked well in her head. "Well, I can start to see why..."

"Doubtful," said Elisabeth. "We've both had to deal with being burdened by someone's degeneracy – at least you dealt with your problems long ago."

The contrast between those 'problems' were clear in the Kagura maiden. "There's a thick line between Orochi and a gifted delinquent. Why haven't you just considered kicking Ash out?"

Even the clear questions left Elisabeth with tough decisions on the answer. "He'd probably sneak his way back in – and there would only be worse things to come from that, if his antics of the past usually meant anything. Think I'd rather he have his fun than have to escalate things because I'm always in his way."

Chizuru crossed one leg over another as she relaxed slightly more into the chair beside her cohort. The point was made, and she fully understood it. "I suppose I shouldn't object to your ideas – you know him better than anyone else..."

" _Unfortunately._ " Elisabeth's hands were buried slightly into her azure-blue hair by this point, staring deeper down towards her desk. "I know I shouldn't focus all my energy on him – he can have his fun, but hopefully he knows his boundaries before it's too late."

It was quite surreal, really – an annoyance hanging around your plans, only so out of reach to actually affecting it. It wasn't a blessing nor a curse, but it was an odd sort of convenience, especially in cases like Betty's brief ordeal with Sylvie. The tournament, for the most part, was going off well – that was what mattered most in this week, and it was hopefully good vibes from here...

* * *

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #11 **   
**May Lee Jinju vs. Shermie**

Shermie hummed happily to herself as she sauntered her way downstairs into the appointed zone for her match – the foyer of the mansion, where the first couple matches of the round took place earlier – and the French beauty was feeling refreshed after relieving her certain someone of their 'frustrations' some minutes ago. The fun she was having there almost made her forget about the tournament entirely, but when faced with an opportunity to shine in the spotlight, she would never back down from it.

Away from her line of sight, however, her opposition stood at higher ground – perched atop one of the wall-hung statues, the vigilant May Lee was surprisingly hidden well as she pulled a Dark Knight with her stealthy spot.

She thought to herself, " _You would've fooled me twice, if it was said this babe wouldn't hurt a fly... I know what she's up to, though... I know who she's aligned with... now's my chance, to strike evil where it aches most!_ "

The makeshift superhero got out of her half-kneeling and stood atop the stone-built decorating for a moment – if it was a little more windy inside this place, her red scarf would've looked a lot cooler in the motions of the moment. Nevertheless, she was going to make up for that with her freefall into the fray.

"Ki-yaaaa _aaaah~!_ " May Lee's kiai rang out loud as she dropped down at an angle, aiming straight at her opponent with an outstretched leg...

...only to _not_ meet contact with the back of Shermie's head, as the French charmer ducked down and casually evaded the sneak attack – this led to May Lee's unfortunate pratfall as she nearly twisted the hell out of her ankle upon impact and tumbled flat onto her butt a couple feet away from where her opponent squatted and giggled away.

"Hi~!" Shermie waved hello, greeting her opponent as if there _wasn't_ a fight about to happen between them.

"Rrgh... how did—how could—?" May Lee stammered as she stumbled back to her feet. "How could you _see_ me coming?"

Hair-obscured Shermie retorted, "Not as much as I could _hear_ you, _chéri._ " She stood back straight again, as she started to stretch about. "I could help you to not be so foolish if you want – I bet it'd be hard for _anyone_ to turn down some time with all _this_..." Her positions and poses as she flexed herself about provided a very provocative and suggestive image of herself towards the fight.

May Lee's face swelled up with a flummoxed red as she glanced on for maybe a little bit too long before shaking some sense into herself. "N-no! You're one of the bad girls! You _have_ to be brought to justice!"

"It's only when I let Orochi will me to, that I could _ever_ care about being on the dark side, cutie-pie," said Shermie. "You gotta let go of your motives sometimes if you wanna have fun with me – you wouldn't be the first, anyways..." Her tongue rolled around in her mouth, still feeling the aftertaste of love.

"I'll hold onto justice 'til I die!" May charged forward to lunge in for a kick – and she was immediately caught into her rival's embracing arms.

Shermie shrugged, finding no need to reason further. "Eh, suit yourself..."

_**FIGHT!** _

The battle immediately met its official start as soon as Shermie flexed herself backwards and slammed May Lee into the ground with a hard suplex slam. She seamlessly rolled back over with a flexible flip onto her feet, hugging onto the South Korean all the while as she intended on continuing the offense – however, May broke free before she could get slammed again, clobbering Shermie in the chest with two kicks and then springing away in a backflip that distanced herself.

May Lee charged forward again, with a fist thrusting for her opponent's face – but the Frenchwoman caught the hand before it made contact, and it was then that Shermie realized the buildup of electricity within May's gloved fists.

"Oh my~" She giggled, amused briefly by the child-like fascination of the crackling energy beyond May's wrist. "Guess we _both_ have a thing for electricity – small world, eh?"

Shermie tossed the missed fist aside, only to be met with May's foot catching the right of her face with a leaping kick – this actually brought the vixen to a dazed state, allowing May Lee another strike, in this case an axe kick upside Shermie's head that left the 'Heavenly Queen' at an awkward state of grogginess where she was just barely on her feet still.

The Taekwondo kid was ready to bring her opponent down on her back at this point, but not before a brief moment of time-wasting poses.

"I am heaven's wrath! _H'yaah!_ " May Lee flung herself forward with a blazing kick – and she missed, as Shermie flung her own half-limp body back and somehow evaded it, forcing May to halt her kick's forward momentum and stop a way's away from her opponent.

Shermie flopped to her knees, bending herself almost into a ball as she recuperated through weak laughter. " _Oh wow_... those kicks are getting me woozy already..."

May Lee might've gotten a lucky break with those kicks she clobbered her adversary with, and she decided to try again with a strike from behind, a punch charging down on her opponent's skull – however, on the leap after the running start, she probably should've considered keeping a closer eye on Shermie's movements, as she suddenly felt the strong legs of the Orochi babe wrap around her waist, and take her on a brief ride straight into the ground.

The South Korean took the brunt of that landing on her shoulders, trading predicaments with Shermie as the limber beauty did a backwards handspring back onto her feet. She surprisingly managed to recover well from those kicks, all of a sudden – or maybe she was just feigning vulnerability...

"Hmhmhmhm~ for a justice-bringer, you sure are easy to catch..." Mind-games as usual from the Hakkesshu-aligned competitor, and she didn't seem to just be letting her opponent stay in their awkward position, as Shermie clung onto the waist of May and sent her across with a loose German suplex.

May again took the brunt of the slam on her shoulders as she was planted into the ground again. The experience of pain throughout her upper body clouded her head as she realized she was on the very wrong end of a beating against the 'forces of evil'. All she could hear beyond the light ringing within her ears from the growing trauma was the 'innocent' humming and giggling of her opponent as she started to approach again. " _La-la-la-laa, la-la-la-laaa, he-heh~!_ "

The adrenaline of justice started to kick in within May Lee as she kipped up to her feet, mostly ignoring what she had just experienced. "Cut the music, siren!"

Shermie glanced towards the younger adversary, continuing to chuckle. "Big words for a cute little kid," she retorted.

Immediately, May leapt for another flying kick, and this time it nearly hit, as Shermie narrowly dodged it – landing on the other side of the Orochi girl, May kept herself facing back as she jabbed an elbow forward and nailed Shermie in the side briefly, but the vixen kept the Taekwondo girl even closer, with a headlock wringing May by the neck.

Again, May Lee continued to fight back against her opponent, enacting several more swinging elbows to the side. Eventually, the headlock devolved into more of a wrist-lock, as May's hands took a handle onto one of Shermie's wrists and allowed her to briefly bring the babe around the scene with a wide swing – but reeling back in led to May getting smashed across the face with a bitch-slap from

A little bit agitated from the elbows to the side of her gut, Shermie flicked one of the tails of her red hair back over her shoulder in a cocky scoff. "You wouldn't dare try to dent these curves, kid." She immediately pounced May afterwards, culminating in a grounded position where she straddled atop the blue-haired kicker.

Shermie then followed up on her saying, "Otherwise, I might have to mess with _your_ looks." Her hands roamed above and around much more of her opponent's body than the Korean was willing to let her, and those deviant hands of Shermie ultimately threatened to tear away the aggressive-looking yellow frog decaled on May's shirt.

"Rrgh! N-no, stop that!" May Lee's hands fought back in the struggle against Shermie's, while her legs bent in until her knees beneath her baggy trousers brushed against the floor. Eventually, May _somehow_ managed to lift herself back to her feet even as Shermie continued to clutch onto her with both hands and legs finding positions around the Korean's body. Eventually, May overpowered the womanhandling she was on the wrong end of, shoving Shermie off and across the room.

May was a little ruffled up by all of the groping going on, but she was _not_ taking that sitting down. "I'm not in the mood to be fondled – the only piece of me you deserve is this _foot!_ " She swung around in a roundhouse, fitting for the quip that had just escaped her mouth, and aimed straight for the then-kneeling Shermie.

Surprising for even _her_ at the moment, Shermie caught the roundhouse leg as it was mere centimeters from connecting – if it had succeeded in making its mark, the Orochi babe's jaw would've been far beyond dislocated. She slowly got back onto her own two feet as she held May by her left leg.

Throwing aside the outstretched leg, Shermie wound her opponent into a brief spin – and she too spun herself, in the opposite way, as she leapt forward, and sent a knee _straight_ into the center of the makeshift superhero's face, with crackling electric energy accompanying the impact as the kneecap potentially caved May's nose in as it sent her, and a patch of blood, flying several feet across the foyer and sliding several feet _further_ across the smooth and shiny floor.

With that, the action came to an abrupt halt as Shermie landed on her cute butt after that leaping knee, glancing at what felt like a mile away as the 'representation of justice' was on the other side, immediately knocked the fuck out as the light trail of blood drew a barely consistent line between the fighters, from the heels of Shermie's boots to the splatter that drew clashing colors on the blue and yellow of May Lee's shirt.

Surveying the end of the brief war, Shermie adjusted the loosen strings of her hair as she laughed and then sighed in relief. "Finally – is it really so hard to shut up once in a while?"

With one significant knee, the French beauty had come out of this with her good looks pretty much intact, and in the face of a tournament ahead, and a new fling likely watching the match, she wouldn't want it any other way.

**WINNER: Shermie**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pardon me if it took a little longer for this chapter to come out than you were expecting – after a very productive February, I've been really considering just slowing down a little for March, give myself a little bit of a break. Seven chapters posted of this throughout last month is A LOT compared to updates of other works – and I've been considering plans on a few more one-shots in the coming future, and maybe something fairly big as well...?
> 
> Next Chapter: The Ice Doll, Kula, is finally in action next!


	19. Round 1: Ai vs. Kula Diamond

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #12   
** **Agent Ai vs. Kula Diamond**

Just when it seemed like the controlled chaos of the tournament was already at its peak, something new surfaced somewhere in the various hallways of the mansion.

In this case, it was a vehicle that looked like it traveled back in time from some future dystopia, speeding by as if it _wasn't_ out of place, especially within a building like this. After some sharp maneuvering around several narrow hallways, it eventually made a stop in a wide, open room akin to the ballroom in the Love/Jenet fight a while back.

Before any sort of explanation was necessary ( _and in a tournament full of odd bullshit, was an explanation needed at all?_ ), the vehicle for one started to fade away into a wireframe and then into nothing but air – as it turned out, it was one of many surprises left in store from the young agent Ai's magical Neo-Geo Pocket console. Disregard the trail of burnt rubber etched across the building into the empty – she just _had_ to get in her first impression in this tournament's preliminaries.

For a moment, Ai was starting to assume she got to the combat zone first, and seemed about willing enough to wait on them – but then she glanced up and saw two figures sitting atop the light-holding rafters, of her younger opposition in Kula ( _her hair idling in its initial strawberry-blonde color_ ), and her protector Diana.

"Oh~! Hi there!" A little bewildered by her opponent's locale in this zone, Ai waved hello.

Kula smiled silently and waved back. Diana spoke down to Ai, on behalf of the often taciturn ice girl she was rarely seen without, "Nice entrance."

"It's the most I could do," the gamer-agent admitted, handling her pocket-console in her hands.

"Unfortunately, it might the most you _can_ do," said Diana, before gesturing to the purple-clad girl beside her. "This girl is nothing to mess with."

"I think I can hold my own pretty well," Ai retorted. "I earned my right to be an agent for a reason."

"Good luck with that." Diana's slightly smug tone more than implied that she considered luck the only thing going Ai's way. She glanced towards Kula, "Think it's time you got to work."

"Right on it." Kula's orange hair suddenly evolved into a fluorescent blue, as she entered what could be considered her 'battle mode' – and her powers immediately entered the showcase as she dropped down from the rafters, with a sheet of ice trailing down her way in the form of a slide.

Ai had to think quickly to keep up on defense as she realized the slide of ice was bringing the NESTS girl straight at her. Shaking around her Neo-Geo Pocket, Ai struggled to get something out of her arsenal as quick as possible – that defense came in the form of a wooden box that plopped into her hands and was immediately smashed in on itself when Kula dropped in feet-first and kicked it. Despite the little bit of blockage, Ai still took a good chunk of the force when the hit came and went, and she took a bit of a stumble as the virtually-summoned pieces of wood in her hands soon faded away.

Kula stood in front of the agent with arms outstretched at her sides, the aura of ice around her finding a settlement in her yellow-gloved hands. "Kula... is ready!"

_**FIGHT!** _

Kula skated forward with a confident edge in her eyes as she kept close quarters with a spinning kick that swiped her foot across Ai's face twice over before kicking lower against her gut. Ai had already keeled over a bit from the combo, down on one knee as she saw her opponent glide in graceful circles around her, but she didn't look too disadvantaged in the fight yet – the initial strike right before the match began probably didn't help her troubles heading into this.

Ai's subconscious managed to barely read the next move incoming, but she was able to avoid a low sweep with a short hop, before taking a half-circle spinning start to a kick she decided to counter with, getting in her first hit against the ice doll

Kula looked as if she was about to go limp from the kick to the face, but she stabilized her stance and struck back with her two palms together in a forming of an ice spike darting straight for the fed-gov agent. Ai slid past the vicinity of which the attack would've reached her, darting past Kula's left with a great reflex and a knack to rely on her NG Pocket for the next attack – she summoned upon a baseball as her projectile of choice, feeling hard as stone in her hand in the moment before she chucked it at the NESTS alumnus.

Kula turned around quickly to meet the sight of the ball, and caught it before it could catch her with a hard blow. Initially intrigued for a few seconds, she decided to pay no mind or question to the objects her opponent had been forming out of that pocket console, choosing to throw the ball back to its sender.

Ai returned the favor of the projectile not making any striking contact, catching it in her hand – that hand of which was now wearing the mitt that fit the theme of the baseball items being put to use in the middle of this interesting bout.

The time spent to handle the baseball, however, was a detriment to Ai's defense, as Kula sought upon the thin opening in her opponent's guard and struck her hands against the floor to summon a brief pillar of ice. The ice darted upwards and forwards in a jagged spike, but Ai swiftly avoided the potential impalement. As she evaded, she returned to her Neo-Geo Pocket full of tricks...

Kula summoned a slightly taller spike of ice that darted further forward than the last, but in this instance, she kicked it and a sizable chunk of it was flung off towards her adversary – but Ai quickly countered with a newly equipped robotic gauntlet over her right hand, swinging the fist into the chunk and smashing it into bits. She went further with the metal hand, grabbing onto the rest of the ice in an attempt to weaponize it for herself. However, as she struggled, Kula had already maneuvered over, hopping past and winding up behind the agent.

The ice broke off from the ground it stood on, and Ai swung it like a blunt weapon, to no avail. Kula unleashed another spin-kick across the face of Ai, lumbering the agent back with the weight of the metal hand over her own being a slight disadvantage to her situation. Kula held onto that hand to keep a hold onto her opponent, and all the while, the robot hand slowly succumbed to the freezing sensation around it, until it was encased in a basketball-sized sphere of ice. The increased weight of the ice alongside the glove started to drag Ai even closer towards the floor as Kula took up on the free hit, with her hands brought together into a combined fist, swinging into Ai's jaw.

Ai spiraled out a few feet, her hand hanging inches away from the floor as she struggled with the ice attached to her. This little ordeal thankfully wasn't for too long, as she managed to smash away most of the ice by punching the floor. Even with the risk of busting a knuckle against the hard flooring, she was just glad to have that hand free. However, she suddenly saw a case of ice almost instantly surround her – as she found herself encased in a polygon of ice that rendered her barely mobile within the center due to the temperature creeping straight into subzero levels.

The childlike wonderment within Kula allowed her to giggle in fascination towards her work well done, as she took a moment to fiddle around with the big sphere of ice – she always had that affinity for the powers she was gifted...

Before too long, though, the case of ice started to crack and fizzle as something on the interior activated. Just as Kula was handling it, in contemplation to roll the frost-formed ball around for fun, she felt the crystal orb break away in the formation of something with more of an electrical edge, and her hands were briefly zapped before the emerging barrier in the deeper shade of blue casted itself wider and stronger than the original layer of ice.

Still capable somewhat of movement within the ice, Ai managed to reach for her Pocket to activate a force field, and the field briefly smashed against Kula as it quickly grew, knocking her down along the way. It took a moment for the ice-bearer to shake off the clash she took against the field, and she looked on for a moment as Ai sat in the middle of the semi-transparent field.

"Yeah, hard to hit me _now_ , isn't it?" Ai bragged from under the safe cover.

Kula decided to test that theory, again gliding across the floor on her ice-slicked boots as she jumped and clashed against the force field again with a shoulder-charge. Again, she was met with some electrical feedback and some recoil damage after running into it, but she powered through it and started kicking at the barrier. The agent's force field showed almost no sign of gradual damage from the strikes, and Ai had found herself time to plan her next move.

As she fiddled with her Neo-Geo gadget to figure out what to choose next from her cohesive library of game-based weaponry, Ai grew to realize that 'time to plan' was fading a little bit quicker than she wanted, as she saw Kula pushing against the barrier again, this time paying no mind to the electrical aura zapping her plenty. The realization kicked in further when she saw that it seemed that the growing shields of ice fading in against the force field were absorbing the charge on behalf of Kula's hands, and it was starting to get a little bit frightening.

The ice was starting to phase through – and the crystals started to spike out into the other side, bringing Ai into a brief state of panic as she fidgeted harder with her pocket console.

Suddenly, the force field vanished, Ai had started to hover up into the air on _something_ , and Kula had lost the balance she formed against the field, nearly taking a prat fall alongside the dropped crystals of ice that fell from her hands. For a moment, the doll-like girl was confused with the sudden vanishing of her opponent, and while laying down on the floor, she looked around from left to right. She didn't yet bother looking straight up until her guardian spoke up.

"Kula! Watch the skies!" Diana alerted, prompting Kula's eyes upwards towards what mattered most in the exact moment.

With a yelp and a brief roll-away, Kula narrowly avoided something that was intended to drop right on her head – when she glanced towards where she previously laid, she saw an odd L-shaped object, formed from four smaller blue blocks, that was about half as tall as she was.

"Hey, kid! You like puzzles, don't ya?" Ai's voice rung out from right above, and Kula recognized her presence nearly at the very top of the room, on an odd little hot-air balloon contraption. Ai's legs kicked about so casually over the edge of her seat on the basket of the aircraft, with the rest of the space made up of similar-looking tetrominoes that the agent looked about ready to drop in a weird puzzle air-raid.

The next object in the series of pieces was a green skew polymino, which as soon as it left Ai's hands, it hovered down at a very slow pace, and from the looks of it, she was controlling the odd rotation of it with her Neo-Geo Pocket – as if she was playing a video-game within actual reality.

It was nothing like Kula had ever seen before, and her first thought towards what to do with her adversary's plan of action was to just plain have fun with it. She swiftly maneuvered around the real-life game of Tetris she was in the middle of, hopping over onto the top of the blue L-block and then making a risky leap further into the air to cling onto the green polyomino as it slowly hovered down. A purple T-shaped block came next, and traveled further up to grab onto it. By this point, Ai rotated the oddly-shaped object erratically to try and shake the NESTS alumnus off, but Kula clinged on, so decided to drop the purple block fast to rip the makeshift platform out from under the opponent.

The orange 2x2 square came next, aiming down where Ai suspected her foe to be laying, but with the view she had that didn't involve having to stretch dangerously over the edge of the balloon-held contraption, and the screen that indicated only the placement of the blocks and nothing further, she didn't have the best tell of the ice girl's locale.

Naturally, it was unsurprising how much she was caught off-guard when Ai saw the orange block start going _up_ instead, and even further when she saw a rising pillar of snow rise up right in front of her, with Kula casually laying down atop it, the neon-orange tetromino cuddled in her arms.

"Hi," Kula waved again, nearly face-to-face with the blue-clad girl.

Ai struggled with words. "Uhhh... one moment..." The balloon slowly hovered lower, bringing Ai away from her opponent's sight.

"Hmm?" Kula hummed in confusion to what her opponent was planning next, but she soon gathered what was going on when she felt the pillar shake amidst a thumping a couple feet below. She looked over the edge of the tall snow fort and saw Ai whacking at the pillar with a baseball bat like an axe chopping down a tree. The stack of snow started to lean dangerously in one way, and Kula found herself about to potentially plummet back down to her, bringing her to a gradual panic. "Uhh...? Uhh...! No-no, nononono~!" She indeed took that fall, but it wasn't for very long, as she luckily landed right on Ai's shoulders.

Ai yelped in frustration, "Whoa~! Hey, get off!"

Kula's next actions came from spontaneous panic, as she decided to breath some chilling air down on Ai's face, and the mist of blue built together into a growing patch of ice that started covering the agent's face.

"Ahh, ahh...! Please, not the—I can't _see!_ " Ai blindly thrusted her arms above herself to cling onto the ice girl.

The balloon started to shake out to the right, bumping against the slumping fort of snow. Suddenly, those balloons took an impact of something dropping onto them – the orange tetromino that was atop the pillar, which provided sharp enough edges to pop those balloons.

Gravity set its course as the only direction the girls and the basket they struggled upon was straight _down_ – after the impact of everything hitting the floor echoed roughly throughout the room, there was a mess of wood and beneath two groany bodies.

Ai rose her face slightly from the ground first, her eyes still sticky and mostly-closed from the ice that already began to thaw upon her face. In addition, her nose was a little bit busted up and bloody since that was the first thing on her that touched the floor, and her hat had slipped off her head in the middle of the fall, leaving a slight mess of a hairdo out in the open.

She voiced her injury with a clear moan, "That was _your_ fault..."

Kula was a little better off from the fall, recovering decently after having taken less of a spill on her stomach and face. Shaking away the messy strands of her icy mane, she glanced back. "It was kinda fun, though." A little bit after she said that, her eyes glanced a little higher up past where Ai was laying, and for good reason.

The blue-clad agent followed suit and looked up towards the snowy slope behind her – which was starting to lean much further, and much like the tree it was treated like with that baseball bat she used against it earlier, it was slowly tumbling down.

On the other hand, Kula had beaten Ai to the next glare towards something that was thankfully barely scatched in the fall – the technologically-gifted Neo-Geo Pocket. Naturally, her next action was to grab it. "Yoink!"

Ai saw this happen a second too late. "Hey, that's—!" When she glanced forward again, she saw Kula's other hand atop her wrist – which had then been encased in a patch of ice that held the video-gamer agent down.

"It's been fun – I'll see you again, _maybe_?" Kula spoke quickly as she started to make her evasion from the snowy danger incoming.

Ai struggled desperately as she tried to get her hand out from beneath the ice casing wrapped over her wrist, but it was basically stronger than super-glue. She gave up not long after, knowing that her better plans of action against the unfortunate bondage involved her NG-Pocket. _Which she didn't have._

She ultimately laid flat on her back as she saw the fluffy white slowly devolve into an avalanche. "I didn't sign up for _this_..."

The snow falling on top of her quickly silenced her as it came down in a burying tumble of whiteness that almost completely enveloped her. By this point, the fight had slowed down after the whole balloon crash bit, and with something like that happening to someone who was left without the gear or powers to easily escape, it was nothing less than a match-ender.

**WINNER: Kula Diamond**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this was kind of an odd match to figure out, since I'm not necessarily a big fan of either girl but I'm very aware of the powers they got. I was also almost unsure of how I was going to end it, outside of Kula winning since I always planned on her getting past the first round.
> 
> Next Chapter: Blue Mary gets her hands dirty when she puts her grappling skills to good use!


	20. Round 1: Tsugumi Sendo vs. Blue Mary

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #13   
** **Tsugumi Sendo vs. Blue Mary Ryan**

"I think I still got wall stuff in my ear."

"Did the kick-chick really do you _that_ bad?"

"Why do you think I went straight back to the drinks?"

"Implying you don't go to the drinks when you _win._ "

"...Good point." Vanessa had fairly recently checked herself out of hospice, and was just looking to hang around her partner despite no longer being the tournament after her unfortunate defeat. Now it was just her, her cohort, and a splatter of alcohol in a martini cup. "So, what's all _this_ about?"

As for the scenery around the punch-bound agent – strings of ropes stretched about in a square around this 'combat zone' chosen for the upcoming fight, which seemed like just a plain unused room filled with random objects. The 'ring-posts' were composed of wooden chests that clamped the ropes in place with its drawers, and the matting spread out on the floor within the 'ring' were very clearly taken from the gym scenery last seen in the Angel/Alice fight.

Mary was almost finished encasing the rough ropes with smooth, black-tinted duct-tape, putting in the extra work to the dedicated 'scenery' she formed. "I heard this Tsugumi girl I'm facing knows her stuff about grappling – I figured I wanted to give her a show around the ropes."

"Looks like you wanna take that literally," said Vanessa, leaning against one of the wooden cabinets, with the glass lingering between her left ring and middle fingers. "I'll admit though, you're certainly going 110% for something only a handful are gonna be able to see."

"When you hop into a private tourney like this, you're bound to be a little bit experimental with _how_ you want to do things."

Vanessa replied, "When the term 'experimental' comes to mind, things tend to crawl towards... well, y'know..."

Mary retorted, "Well, what happens in France, stays in France. _Hopefully._ "

Upon great timing, the door opened again and the other half of the upcoming bout arrived. "O-kaaay..." Tsugumi looked ready for the fight to come, of course, but what she felt even more at the moment was _intrigued_ , at the setup of the combat zone before her.

"Oh – just in time!" Having finished taping up the ropes, Mary then leapt over them into the inside of the ring, and took a fighting stance at one of the corners. "C'mon kid, time to show me what you got."

Tsugumi was still busy collecting the odd details of the makeshift ring, leaving her quiet for a brief moment longer. She didn't pay much mind to the opponent within it, especially since she would usually be the one to challenge first.

Mary spoke up again, "Unless you're a little overwhelmed – that's fine, I can wait for ya."

Tsugumi's eyes met the blonde who was raring to fight, and by this point, the Osaka grappler finally responded. "I can make this work." She stepped through the tightly bound ropes. "So are we working by regular rules or..."

"Pins, submissions, the works," said Mary.

Tsugumi shrugged, rolling along with the simplest of rulesets. "Fair enough." She took a stance and settled into it. "Bring it."

_**FIGHT!** _

The match opened on a collar-and-elbow grapple, hands to shoulders as the two ladies clung onto each other in the starting portion of what could be considered one of the more interesting encounters. Eventually, one of Tsugumi's arms wound away from contact with anything else, as her other was in Mary's clutches, the blonde agent forming together a wristlock that tweaked the younger fighter's wrist in a kind of uncomfortable angle.

The match was starting at a crawl at first, but the pace had yet to truly settle in – Tsugumi ran ahead into danger, tackling against Mary with a free shoulder to charge against her midsection, but the adversary wasn't going to let the takedown meet its natural completion. Clinging onto her opponent's left arm, Mary spun around and clocked her in the back with a hard kick. Tsugumi's arm was afterwards tucked under Mary's own left arm, as the blonde worked the shoulder of her friendly rival.

Tsugumi immediately went low with her next strike, sweeping a leg backwards. Before her free arm could reach, Mary caught the sweep on the front of her ankles, but she kept herself from fully hitting the ground with a hand down against the floor – this meant having to let Tsugumi slip out while she kept her balance in check, and the young grappler clutched in half of a waistlock as she hooked a leg and went for a belly-to-back suplex. Mary backflipped out of the suplex and shoved away, sending her into a rough tumble against one of the wooden corners, and the blonde continued on the rebound with a knee to the midsection.

Tsugumi keeled over for long enough to be then grabbed and flung across the pseudo-ring by Mary; despite the good will the padding seemed to offer in replacement to the hard wood, it still hurt plenty for Sendo to fall near-directly onto her right arm in the crash-landing.

Mary sped over to the Osaka girl's prone body and contorted her opponent's shoulders towards the floor, but Tsugumi wasn't having any of the pin attempt, rolling over and out of the ring through the top and middle ropes. Mary immediately went for the catch on her opponent to bring her back in, but she was introduced to a foot catching her across the face as Tsugumi fought against gravity to jump while holding the top rope to thrust a hopping high kick over onto the other side. She then did a front-roll back through the ropes, jumping out of the dismount with a jumping lariat that slapped her forearm across the space on Mary's body between her neck and bosom.

Both bodies went for a drop onto the gym matting, but Tsugumi's went first to roll onto Mary's for a quick pin attempt. Before a single slap on the mat could be counted, Mary reversed the predicament and on top of that, grabbed one of Sendo's legs to crank over as she forced her opponent's shoulders against the ground once again.

"One!~" Mary counted, slapping the floor accordingly – but that was as far as it went as Tsugumi wriggled her shoulders off the floor, and in turn wound up plopping her body into an awkward position on top of Mary.

"Mmhn~!?" A brief grunt muffled out of Mary once she felt Tsugumi's lower body envelop most of her face in the weird positioning going on – then she felt the adversary's legs shift about around her head, and soon Mary felt her neck getting squeezed a fair bit as Tsugumi put her well-fit legs to work.

Mary's mind was on her means to escape the weardown first, but with how her face was placed in the position, there were thoughts elsewhere as well – with the short spandex jumpsuit Tsugumi had on alongside her cropped jacket, there wasn't too much to the imagination when it came to the optimistic girl's _lower_ regions.

Regardless of racy thoughts rambling through her head, Mary leapt up to her feet, but her neck continued to feel the strength of the Osaka wrestler's legs as they held on tight – even more so when Tsugumi whipped the Sambo-skilled agent into a tumble that left Mary upside down with her legs draped over the ropes. Those ropes, by the way, weren't the most stable alongside the objects in the corner meant to hold them in place.

Vanessa certainly felt the loose movement of the cabinets more than anything else, as the one at the corner that she was leaning against shifted against her, and the glass of alcohol on top of it nearly fell off. "Fuck's sake – this ring has enough trouble as it is by itself...!"

"Not like I'm doing it on purpose..." Mary groggily responded, moments before she felt Tsugumi get that one free dropkick against her gut. She fell into a sloggy tumble, and Tsugumi continued to capitalize on the opponent's situation with a stomp down upon the jaw, before pulling down on one leg and going for a quick press.

"One!" Tsugumi couldn't reach a two-count before Mary tumbled backwards onto her and maneuvered about – Tsugumi's left leg was caught in the midst of the motions, as Mary forced her into a back-roll and then grappled her from behind once they were both to their feet.

Mary rotated the position to face her and her opponent towards the ropes in the direction of the door, and she tossed Tsugumi across. The ropes weren't the most professionally prepared, but they did enough to grant some bounce against as the Asian grappler was hurtled against them. Tsugumi stumbled forward with a bit stinging pain off her back – right into a rolling sobat kick, which Mary followed up on with a sweeping low that floored the adversary. Mary promptly pounced onto Tsugumi aftewards, enacting a position for a little bit of ground-and-pound – Tsugumi, however, managed to force herself up into a seated position in the middle of it, and eventually, the two grapplers had their legs intertwined in an entanglement of aggression as they both looked to strike and stretch out their opposition.

Mary eventually caught a swinging fist inches from contact, and draped her other arm around the neck of Tsugumi in a seated guillotine choke, intending to strain at least a good chunk of life force out of her opponent in the hopes of getting a tap-out.

Instead of that, Mary found herself being lifted up from the ground as Tsugumi wrapped her arms around the detective's body and carried her on the way back up to her feet. The action was carried into one of the corners, as Tsugumi straddled Mary onto the top for something that would not come to completion as Mary kicked the opponent away and kept a position on the oddly-constructed ring corner. She made a short leap off the tottering cabinet, soaring just a slight over Tsugumi's head and shoulders before latching sideways onto her back, with one hand reaching around the younger fighter's left arm.

With a swift crucifix driver, Mary aggressively slammed Tsugumi down on her neck and shoulders, but she didn't hold on for a pinfall of some kind as rolled backwards and onto her knees – the private-eye grappler followed instead with more focus on Tsugumi's left arm, jumping and clinging herself around the limb.

Planting down in the middle of the 'ring', Mary completed her methods of lockdown as she intertwined her legs against Tsugumi's shoulder and held on tight for a cross-armbar. Almost immediately, Tsugumi sensed the danger of the submission as she felt her elbow threaten to bend in the worst possible direction – there was little she could do at the moment outside of having to roll out of it, but that was at the threat of things potentially getting worse for her. Mary even elevated the lock over time, balancing herself atop one of her shoulders against the mat ( _as using both shoulders could potentially count as a pin in this bout_ ), leaving Tsugumi hanging slightly above the ground by her arm as her shoulder joined in the growing agony of the hold.

Even then, Tsugumi still had a light grasp at possibly fighting through the pain, but her momentum was crumbling around her as it ensued further, and her wrist joined the other major joints of her arm in the horrific tweaks and bends, at the hands of Blue Mary.

Eventually, the Osaka grappler conceded, the palm of her other hand slamming against the floor in difficult surrender. Even after being released from the hold, Tsugumi's arm was overwhelmed in a lingering pain from her shoulder to her fingertips, and this pain helped her learn that she was the inferior one of the bunch in this specific fight.

**WINNER: Blue Mary**

After coping with the sweat dripping sparsely across her fit body, Mary approached Tsugumi, with a hand offering some help to her feet.

"No hard feelings, kid," Mary assured. Despite having to come close to breaking some bones to get that submission victory, she was willing to give respect. "Just the spirit of competition."

Tsugumi accepted the helping hand, temporarily getting over the ache in her right arm to take that hand into Mary's. "I'm still finding my way around – _ow~_..."

Mary heard the brief yelp out of the brunette in front of her, and light concern formed in her eyes. "You sure you're gonna be fine?"

"Yeah. Probably." Tsugumi again winced when Mary lifted it just slightly.

"Even then, you should _probably_ see them about this," Mary responded, taking a handful of Tsugumi's sturdy limb for a little while, to the point where it almost started to feel super awkward on Tsugumi's end, if the very light blush lining above her cheeks and nose was able to say anything of the slightest. At this point, we might need someone to switch the subject before it starts to get a little _heated_...

"Alright girls, save the touchy-feely for later." Breaking the undertones going on within it, Vanessa stepped through the ropes, sneaking up behind the two fellow fighters with an arm draping comfortably around each of the grapplers' shoulders. "I think now's about time I get _you_ some drinks this time around!"

Mary was at a slight objection to the idea... "Pretty sure this kid's not old enough for that kind of stuff..."

Tsugumi responded, "Yeah, you'd probably be right..." If we were to give technicality a chance, 18-year-old Sendo would be of age within France, but being in such a foreign country left her a bit clueless to that fact.

Ah well – whatever comes their way in the post-match mingling is their business. 'What happens in France, stays in France', as they say...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: After more than a dozen matches so far in the tourney, the spotlight finally lands on a certain sex-symbol in her upcoming bout, coming next!


	21. Round 1: Mai Shiranui vs. Nakoruru

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #14   
** **Mai Shiranui vs. Nakoruru**

The sun was shining much brighter here than most of elsewhere in the premises – this was the first fight of the tournament to take place in scenery that was at least mostly outdoors, on a balcony-like setting that was still wide enough to be considered a room of its own.

The theme of the upcoming fight was as clear as the skies on this now-afternoon – a far-past generation of Japanese warrior culture going up against the modernity of ninja culture nowadays.

Nakoruru was giving her attention towards the flowers lining the corners of the balcony barricade – unsurprising behavior for someone appointed as the guardian of Mother Nature. Mamahaha was perched on her right shoulder, looking elsewhere while Nako admired the expressive colors of the bloom around her, stopping soon after to squawk out in an alerting manner. The time-displaced young guardian looked towards where her hawk companion had called, and the reason was not too far to reach.

Positioned somewhat higher above and farther away from where Nako was standing was the other half of this clash of Japan's finest; looking far beyond fine in her iconic ( _in several ways_ ) red-clad gear, Mai was reclining atop the rooflet leading out into the mostly-outdoors setting, a fan in hand hiding just a slight bit of her face. From how comfortably she was settled, it seemed she had been there for a little while, and her opponent hadn't noticed until now. Of course, who would you be not to expect something like that from a ninja like her?

Heeding the alerting caw of her companion, it took a little moment before Nakoruru finally recognized the sparsely-clad ninja atop the roof. "Ohh – I was wondering what's gotten Mamahaha so suddenly bothered; so _you're_ my opponent, I assume?"

"Exactly right~!" As soon as she was given the attention of her opponent, Mai swooped down into the scene with beauty and grace fully intact. Swiveling about with her cloth happily flowing through the breeze, she settled on her pose with the fan open in her hand, and a whole lot of bounce in her chest. "Prepare to face off with the one and only – Mai Shiranui has arrived!"

While the sexy charisma was very clear within the poster girl of the Shiranui clan, it was only met with silence ( _including the relatively stunned state of Nakoruru before her_ ) only graced against by the wind, as she stared confidently towards her opponent.

Eventually, that confidence on the smile upon Mai's face petered out into an expression fitting slight discomfiture to the awkward silence. "...Yeah, it's not as awesome without a crowd, I know," she admitted, lightly itching the half-folded fan against her shoulder. "But still, I'm quite a delight in _your_ eyes, right?"

Nakoruru was a little hesitant in her response, as her innocent eyes were unprepared for what they were going to face in this tournament. "I... honestly don't know _what_ to say about someone so generously proportioned, in such... _interesting_ attire."

Mai held the fan closer to her face, unsure of which direction to take the younger girl's comments. "Were there not girls like me in... whenever your time was?"

"It just wasn't a common sight."

"Guess that means you're not all _that_ prepared with the likes of me, then?"

Nako admitted with a sniff of slight pessimism, "It's far from my first encounter – though I would've preferred if things were different."

"Don't feel so bad about it," said Mai. "C'mon, come dance in the flame with me." She spun around dazzlingly before settling into her fighting stance.

Attempting to not let her opponent's looks get the better of her, Nakoruru reached behind herself for the handle of her sheathed kodachi. "If you insist..." Mamahaha hovered by her side as she slouched into position for the incoming battle...

_**FIGHT!** _

The two fighters circled around, both waiting for the other to make their first move.

Mai spoke up in the midst of the encircling encounter, "I hope you aren't too uncomfortable having to hit a pretty face..." The Shiranui maiden's curves and bounce were shamelessly out and about in her stance, even more with the continued movement she had to keep up with.

The jiggly presence before her made Nakoruru almost incapable of looking directly at her opponent. Regardless, she was willing to approach closer for the first strike, her left foot skittery before she made a first attempt at kicking forward. Her first lick of offense was quickly dispatched, though, as Mai blocked it with a strong leg forward, and spun in a half-circle to swing the other leg further in a kick that grazed by Nako's gut; 'Nature's Guardian' retreated slightly as her grip on her sheathed blade tightened, continuing the methodical crawl that the match was starting with.

Mai held an open fan close to her face, her eyes showing the eager patience towards her opponent's next move. She kept position with barely any budge as she kept her eyes locked onto the slightly reluctant rival – when Nakoruru finally chose to try and strike again, with an elbow thrusting ahead, Mai spun aside...

" _Ryuu Enbu~!_ "

Twirling the ribbons tailing down her back-end across the face of her opponent, Mai summoned an aura of fire in front of her, forcing Nako onto defense. As the guardian bore witness to the lingering line of flame in front of her, she saw as cartwheeled through it...!

" _Hissatsu, Shinobi Bachi!_ " Mai drove a pointed elbow forward in her soaring dash, and smashed into the blocking arms of Nakoruru, who braced against the attack with all her will-power and managed to come out of it with little damage done.

Afterwards seeing the minimal window of opportunity as Mai had her back turned slightly towards her, Nakoruru clung onto the back of the sparsely-clothed ninja and landed her first proper strike on her with a dropkick driving her two feet into the spine. Mai stumbled into one of the pillars leading out from the entryway going out from inside the mansion, and was left with lost focus. Before long, she saw Mamahaha flying her way, and sprung away off the pillar in a brief panic to evade the hawk's ordered offense.

Immediately following the first spiral flip away from the hawk's aggressive dash at her, Mai had to flip again as she sensed Nakoruru coming at her, targetting low, and made sure her ankles didn't get clipped by Nako's diving slice at her. After the missed attack, Nakoruru front-rolled back into position, only to be soon met with a spinning kick across the face from the Shiranui beauty. Springing up higher while her opponent staggered away, Mai jumped onto the edge of the rooflet just above where Nako was standing, and dropped down with knees aiming for another full-contact strike on her opponent. Avoided it, however, and Mai met nothing but concrete on the missed impact.

"Tch~!" Mai winced briefly. High risk, but no reward...

Nakoruru jumped back into the fray with a spinning dropkick, soles hitting Mai mostly in the gut – although the sexy kunoichi braced some of the impact with her arms, she was still pushed a sizable way back. Didn't help that she was still on her knees the whole way through, risking some bad scrapes on her knees against the hard, rough pavement beneath. Mai wasn't budged too badly yet, though – the fans flourished within her hands, and she was inbound for her strike as she did a hands-free cartwheel leap, lunging forward with the fans held tightly, and slashed down with both hands.

However, she only managed to clash with Nakoruru's blade alone – the fans crumpled somewhat against the short sword of Nako, and out of the corner of her eye past the young warrior out of time, Mai saw Mamahaha fluttering with a stare piercing out at her.

Moving swiftly but with an erratic edge, Mai wrapped an arm around Nakoruru's head and brought her down towards the ground with her, rolling backwards and booting Nako across with a throw that sent the girl closer to the stone barricade of the balcony. Afterwards, Mai heard the hawk's cry sound out loud, almost loud enough to be heard across the entirety of the tournament's premises. Mai kipped up from her grounded position, just in time to avoid the low sweeping dash of Mamahaha.

The hawk thankfully managed to land safely in the arms of Nakoruru, who was able to keep comfort with her companion despite having freshly taken a throw dropping her to the ground.

"Don't worry, I got you...!" she assured.

This moment of comfort to left Nakoruru to not see what came next before it was enacted right before her eyes; looking off into the distance before her, she was met with the sight of several fans, most definitely more than what she would expect someone to handle with just their two hands alone, soaring out in several curving paths that all led to just _one_ target. The small realm of reaction during this moment left Mamahaha reacting quicker than who it was aligned alongside, hovering up beyond the shoulders of Nakoruru as she took a hold onto one of the hawk's claws and managed to ride away from the danger.

The fans – about eight in the whole bunch – met a single circle of landing in the middle of the barricade, _slicing_ and _smashing_ through the stone concrete. As a reminder, these fans were made primarily with simple _paper_ , but they all individually carried the strength of a sledgehammer slamming down. Stone and dust exploded out in a small radius of messiness below where Nako was seconds before, and she looked more than relieved to have avoided the calamity.

Soon dismounting from her flight alongside her hawk, Nakoruru spun down at Mai in a rolling dive, catching her with two feet to the temple. Mai's mind swirled briefly like clothes in a washing machine, but the adrenaline of battle allowed her to recover just in time to block another attempted kick from Nako, and retaliate with a swift spin that culminated in her ribbon-tail whipping out at the Sakoku-era warrior. The ribbons caught contact with the left of Nakoruru's face, smacking across her like a disrespectful slap to the face, and it looked like it nearly rendered a cut on her face.

As Nako reeled from the ribbon assault, Mai urged another aura of flame onto the surface of the concrete floor, and she was about to fling it straight at the nature-lover – but Nakoruru quickly shielded herself from the flames with a cloak of fabric. That cloak seemed to _somehow_ be able to shield away the fire without it spreading onto the color-matched fabric – in fact, it looked like it swiped some of the flames back at its sender, as the orange eruption snapped against the exposed skin of Mai's hefty bosom, feeling like a stinging whipping sensation of its own.

" _Eyaaa~!_ " Mai yelped as the flames of fury were deflected straight against her chest – while she carried enough of it to physically block a bit of it, it was a little bit of an emotional weak point, as she didn't want her good looks to be messed with in such a way.

Dashing backwards and wrapping an arm around the skin of her chest, Mai was a little aggrivated to say the least. "Watch the goods, kid!"

Just as she said that, the Shiranui ninja was suddenly caught and wrapped into the holdings of the cloth, which stretched and retained its sturdiness as Nakoruru held onto it.

With her opponent temporarily entrapped, Nakoruru had a little bit of time to give her honest thoughts. "I'm not quite surprised someone like you would be so protective of your looks – but I would've figured kunoichi would rather not be noticed in the heat of battle."

Struggling to get some precise movement beneath the cloth, Mai managed to link together some sacred ninja hand-signs beneath what her opponent could see; with an eruption of flame, she phased out of the strong sheet's clutches, basically translocating out of her predicament, and when she physically returned to the fray out of her technique, she tackled Nakoruru down to the ground.

Pinning the priestess girl against the ground, Mai bought herself time to retort to what Nako had said the moment before. "You're clearly still thinking back to your time, kid – things have changed a lot nowadays."

"I suppose I'd have to admit it as true..." Even deep in the midst of the fight, the absurd jiggle of the older fighter's well-endowed chest.

Out of the line of sight of either lady, Mamahaha swayed in above Mai's position, and latched on with strong claws against the ropes and fabric wrapped around the back of her outfit; Mai didn't realize it until seconds later, but she felt herself being slowly lifted off the ground. She still held onto Nakoruru for a little bit longer as she started to be carried out and into the air, but the guardian of nature struggled out of the clutch,

Admittedly, the predicament Mai found herself in was weird as hell, for sure, but also somewhat terrifying in the case of how far up that hawk was taking her; thankfully, it wasn't too far beyond around 30 feet high up, but she was still rendered into an annoyed panic as she

"Ergh! Get off me, you little... feather... agh, fuck!" Mai was a bit limited with what she had to work with in terms of insults. Her mind was wandering closer towards possible methods to escape the high-height situation she was lifted into, and even deeper in her head, a third relative thought of 'How the hell does Elisabeth allow _this?_ ' was not too far behind; surely animal companions would be considered in a similar realm as a fighter's partner or an interfering party of people...

Someone was certainly bound to wind up in some significant pain coming from this situation, but it may not be for the one who would take the inevitable free-fall. Within a minute, Mai ultimately decided to break free on her terms and her terms alone – she grabbed against the white ropes wrapped across her back, clutched within Mamahaha's claws, and with a strong pull against the entrapping force of the talons, it culminated in those ropes snapping apart and falling away from the hawk's clutches. Surprisingly, her costume was still holding well despite the loose, broken binds alongside it...

Mai started to make her drop straight down from her dangerous height beyond the battlefield, but by this point, she was fully prepared. With another sacred hand-sign formed together with her precise fingers, she started to infuse her dropping aura with the all-too-familiar flames. As her fall accelerated, she was all but literally a meteor falling down to orbit, complete with the burning aura that surprisingly didn't do any damage onto herself.

Down at the ground, Nakoruru held her kodachi tightly in her hands, and raised it at its side above her head to block the airdrop of pure flaming femme fatale coming straight for her. Mamahaha was maybe a bit too late to catch the beauty that escaped from her grasp, so it was up to Nako to make good on her defense.

The collusion most certainly lived up to the short but intense build-up, as Mai clashed with a burning elbow against the short blade of the kodachi – and rather quickly, the blade _snapped_ under the pressure, and the next thing that Shiranui smashed against was Nakoruru's face, front and center against her stubby little nose. Well, for sure, that nose probably wasn't the same shape anymore once the hard clonk of her opponent's elbow crashed against it.

Mai landed quite gracefully despite the whooshing soar downwards, with the return of that confident smile on her face as she dismounted into a fine half-kneel pose. However, as she took her pose, it was a moment before she glanced ahead at where her opponent would be standing at this point.

From that brief glance, she saw as Nakoruru gradually lost her consciousness from the devastating strike, all the while losing her footing as she stumbled towards the edge of the balcony, inconveniently over the previously-broken section – right as she faded away from her (albeit generally reluctant) fighting spirit, one of Nako's feet approached over the air beyond the combat zone, followed inevitably by the rest of her.

"Oh shit!" Mai panicked, quite rightfully, as she leapt out and caught one of Nakoruru's hands right as she started to fall off the platform beneath them. Swiftly reeling the young girl back onto the balcony, back to safety – well, as safe as the now-unconscious, potentially-nose-broken Nakoruru was, at least.

Although the fight was over by this point, at least it didn't end with such a bad stumble as there nearly was just now...

**WINNER: Mai Shiranui**

The kunoichi wouldn't be able to celebrate in any way just yet, however...

"Nngh!"

Quite abruptly, Mai felt a pain down her left arm that was impossible to ignore now, something that the adrenaline of the abrupt rescue had ignored for a minute beforehand. She looked down, and after seeing the staggered downpour of blood dripping just next to where she sat, she saw as a narrow but long cut enveloped across her elbow and upper-arm, slightly singed up from the flames that lingered for seconds longer after its formation.

Mai's first guess was that she must've hit the blade dead-on with that big finishing attack – Nakoruru's weaponry was no joke, as it became clear with how much it hurt like hell at the moment. Whatever – surely, someone on Elisabeth's payroll would patch her up sooner or later.

Though half-grimacing from the searing pain down her elbow, Mai had to laugh it off. "Yeesh," she sighed down towards the unconscious nature-guardian laying comfortably alongside her. "Didn't expect all this from you, kid." The silence returned to being awkward, since Mai was speaking to someone who was too busy being knocked-the-hell-out to respond properly. "Yeah... I think you'll thank me later..."

The victory, though bittersweet with the pure-of-heart opponent that she had to dispatch in this first round, was worth the hard competition just with that fight alone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Aoi, the Kusanagi prospect, enters the fray in the second-to-last match of what has been a wild first round!


	22. Round 1: Aoi Kusanagi vs. Hotaru Futaba

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #15   
** **Aoi Kusanagi vs. Hotaru Futaba**

The two in this late first-round shared a common thread of being relatively new to the competitions around at this time. Aoi was still in her tight but flexible biker jumpsuit, while Hotaru looked serene and comfortable in her blue and white garb.

On one hand, Hotaru was familiar to the King of Fighters tournaments with an odd appearance here and there, including the Maximum Mayhem side-tourney. Aoi, on the other hand, had never stepped foot into an actual KoF tournament, and while this didn't count as anything close to a public tournament, it was her first major foray into combat.

The two met in yet another of the hallways of the Blanctorche manor, approaching one another with no flair needed in their arrivals. Ensuring the respect starting to form between the two, they shook hands.

Aoi was quick to bring out a brief ultimatum to her spiritually-calm opponent. "Don't hold back, okay?"

Hotaru smiled back, feeling the warmth of Aoi's impatient fighting spirit. "There's a lot of optimism in you – I wouldn't expect anything less of a Kusanagi."

The two settled a distance as they entered their respective fighting stances.

_**FIGHT!** _

As the fight officially began, Hotaru sauntered forward a slight with a graceful posture, shifting her stance as she allowed Aoi the chance to come closer. Aoi adjusted her gloves as she stepped forward with slight caution, letting the calm and innocent nature of her opponent slide past while she dealt with the fighter beyond it. Both were proceeding with no hurry to start coming to blows...

Eventually, Aoi was the first to try a strike, thrusting forward with a sliding elbow – but Hotaru swiveled past it, catching one of Aoi's arms as she came up behind her and struck her in the back with a accurately-targeted palm. As Aoi stumbled out of close proximity, Hotaru settled with arms outstretched above her knees and a low-crouching stance as she again approached slowly.

Unbudged by the strike, Aoi turned around sprinted briefly before jumping in with a short-hop kick that Hotaru parried with a swiping hand against the Kusanagi's ankle. Aoi staggered a tiny bit when she landed from the hop, quickly shaking away the brief stinger on her ankle and continuing to closely pursue the Juu-kei fighter. A couple more attempted punches came out of Aoi's arsenal, loosely inspired by her cousin's style of combat, but turned those fists aside time and time again.

The match slowed down briefly again as the two fighters met eyes-to-eyes in their stances – in this beginning point of the fight, Hotaru tried out the game of distance, using inconsistent steps around her close premises to test what types of strikes her opponent was willing to try out in their current position.

Even from there, though, Aoi aimed even lower than what Hotaru was expecting, jabbing a rough foot against her ankle and capitalizing quickly on the follow-up. Jumping forward again, Aoi added up on the potential combo with two high-curving kicks that briefly juggled Hotaru straight into the air. Flipping backwards from the attacks, Hotaru somehow managed to roll back into place with little difficulty. Retaliating quickly with something of her own, she jumped straight out at Aoi with a twirling pinwheel of kicks that caught her in the midsection and pedaled down the Kusanagi relative's ribcage like a xylophone. Having left her opponent dazed after that, Hotaru followed up with a swiping left roundhouse across Aoi's chest to again force a sizable distance between the the two.

Aoi's chest was relished in a handful of bruises obscured by her slightly tattered attire, but she was more than willing to let that be. She smiled out at the blue-haired Kenpo trainee, "You're good."

"I usually try my best," said Hotaru, "just as long as there's sense in the fight."

"...Alright then." Aoi wasn't big on the spiritual stuff. It was usually just her, her ol' motor, and the occasional little spar with a random nobody.

Moving on with the fight, Aoi soared onwards with another strike, this time with a jumping axe kick that narrowly missed Hotaru as she evaded backwards. Landing and spinning with another kick aiming for the midsection, Aoi wound up caught by the foot, and Hotaru swept her other leg out from under her. Aoi quickly broke her short fall and charged forward once again, charging her elbow and shoulder against her opponent. Hotaru blocked it, but still took a bit of a pushaway in the absorption of the heavy thrust. Regardless, she approached with a relaxed little spiral forward with her carefree palms, and smashed her palms forward with a double-hand strike – Aoi blocked the blow with the brunt of her upper arm and took upon the opening with an elbow strike that caught Hotaru under her left arm, before going beyond a 360 spin as she jumped and twirled her left leg against Hotaru's back.

As she stumbled and nearly hit the floor in her disadvantaged situation, Hotaru almost worsened it herself as her ankle slightly tweaked at a wrong angle, and she wound up on one knee for a second. She got over it before long, and by this point, she was set to step it up to the next level now that she truly understood Aoi wasn't going to kid around with her mostly self-taught skills; she summoned forth her energy and struck an palm straight into Aoi's gut, pushing her away with an afterblast of blue sparking out in all directions.

The burning biker felt even her soul rattle a little bit when she felt the palm blast such aura against her body, and the aftertaste of it was without even the slightest flavor. However, on the surface of Aoi's mentality, alongside the brief pain, it felt like nothing she had experienced before in _any_ sort of fight. This was what it felt like, in a bout at this level – no wonder she was a part of a family carrying quite the powerful bunch...

Aoi simply grinned, taking upon that significant strike as something to step up on.

"Hey – two can play."

A short-term plan of action was thought out in her mind; with absolute control to her family-shared gift, Aoi's flames of glory emerged onto the surface of her fingers, and she flung it forward with a wide ring swiping out into a moderate wave of flame trailing straight ahead.

Knowing who exactly she was dealing with, and where they originated from, Hotaru had expected the fire to flourish eventually. Keeping her deep but brief fear within and refusing to let it show on her face, showed no hesitation in her next attack, as she flung more of her pure blue aura with a wide-curving kick, and it not only absorbed some of the flames, it drove what _wasn't_ back to its sender with a threat to snap back.

Wouldn't be the first fight to toy with flame deflection – that being Mai vs. Nakoruru – but Aoi would fair a bit better than the kunoichi of the previous fight, shifting sideways and letting the flames eventually fade away in the light breeze. She smashed into Hotaru again with the shoulder charge, and then swung around with a low sweep to take her down to the ground, afterwards finishing with an elbow dropping down against Hotaru's chest.

The fatigue of the hard-fought match started to ease in within Hotaru for the first time, as she stayed down for a little bit – but she was still stirring well in the midst of combat.

Aoi spoke down to her opponent. "I hope you're not planning on giving up now – I still wanna see more of you 'at your best'."

Hotaru was recovering decently, at this point half-kneeling. "Maybe you will..."

Now having built up some momentum in her recovering state, Hotaru spun out at Aoi with freely-waving palms taking against the Kusanagi all around her face and body. It did much to ruffle up Aoi's hair a bit, and to indirectly unzip her jumpsuit a slight bit more than it usually was, and aside from that, she was suddenly taking quite some hits, to the point where Hotaru brought her unreasonably high up into the air with the twirling wing-like slaparound combo she was tanking.

Eventually, Aoi was given her way back down to the ground, as Hotaru finished it with another energized hand slapping her down like a volleyball; the Kusanagi rebel landed nearly face-first against the carpeted floor. It was kinda surprising for her at how sudden her fortune went for the fight in a single combo.

Hotaru made a graceful landing to the ground, like a bird returning to its nest – albeit one with an irritated wing, as there was a little bit of a stumble since she wasn't at the finest condition in this stage of the fight. Although it almost felt like the fight was very suddenly hers, she could tell Aoi was still willing to give the rest of her percentage in the fight.

Hotaru sounded a little bit hesitant to speak up to her opponent, "Uhh... Aoi?"

"No... I'm fine. Really." Though she was swaying a little bit from what was clearly a rough landing for her, Aoi was prepared to return to her fighting stance. "Let's just give this match the finish it deserves, right?"

Like before the tournament began, Hotaru could sense some hidden discourse in the aura of Aoi. "I might as well..." she sighed, returning to her own stance and approaching with light caution.

Continuing the fight, Hotaru jumped in with a slicing, overarching axe kick that Aoi blocked precisely, and the Kusanagi girl would retort with a sluggish backhand strike of her own that gave the pure Kenpo fighter a not-so-lovely tap on the right of her face. Getting over the strike with a sliver of grogginess, Hotaru managed to block away the follow-up elbow thrust, shoving it away and keeping her distance as she returned to the infusion of energy within her small but strong-willed body. The core of the blue chi phasing through her accumulated in her left hand, and she approached with carefulness within, in case she potentially slipped up.

On the other side of things, Aoi generated something similar in her right hand, the flames of her fighting spirit, and she charged forward similarly as the fire was handled confidently. Ultimately, they clutched together, and the forces stuck together momentarily like a black hole.

Hotaru let one of her eyes squint shut against this up-close feeling of those flames. "Unngh! This heat, it's almost too much to bear...!"

Aoi asked back, "You really think you can handle the heat at _this_ rate, kid?"

Best case scenario, the opposing forces canceled each other out and they'd carry on with the match to its eventual finish; worst case – hard to describe, but in short, the fight would _definitely_ be over, but at the cost of a messy scene, and Elisabeth would be _piiiissed_.

On the bright side, Aoi at least had a free hand to deal with this deadlock however she can – and if she wanted to truly win this fight, she'd go forward with it, even if it meant...

...

...The thought crawled into her for a moment, and she gave it time before sighing within. _"...Ugh. Well, it couldn't hurt too badly, might as well..."_

Her left hand stretched out in the opposite direction of her other, and started to gather up the burning, sparking energy of another ball of flame. However, this was much different than the usual; in opposition to the general orange color of the flames in the clash, these were the purple flames she was 'gifted' with some time ago... Her fingers crushed into a fist as the purple embers held within, and she charged the hand against the opposing color.

Within seconds – _**fwoosh!**_ The orange and the purple swirled together and erupted into a heavy flash. On that moment, all Aoi saw for a moment was a bright white, as everything popped into temporary blindness for her.

A few seconds passed, and everything slowly came in as a blur to Aoi. From the looks of things, that worst case scenario did not exactly come into fruition as the combat zone looked relatively uncooked, and thank God for that. Probably a bad idea in theory to overload the flames, but at least it could've been much worse than it actually was. Maybe Hotaru could—

...

_...Oh fuck, Hotaru._

Thankfully, before long, Aoi was able to find that Hotaru had indeed been blown a way's away, but luckily the blue-haired youthful was very little more than ruffled up from what she had been dealt with. Still she looked barely conscious at the moment, and in keeping up with how the tournament turned out throughout these prelims...

**WINNER: Aoi Kusanagi**

Aoi walked over to where Hotaru laid, assured in the girl's survival by the low and quiet moans coming out of her.

Aoi asked, "Uhh... are you okay?"

Hotaru soon stirred into enough of a level of consciousness to respond, even if barely. All she could recall then, was the orange and the purple... "...Those flames... what... what _was_ that?"

"It's, uh... it's kind of a long story."

"I... I knew there was something deep within you, a secret of some sort..."

Aoi was starting to get a little uncomfortable with the subject at hand. "Really, it's... nothing really worth getting into." She chose to stretch a hand out to offer to the girl. "You need a little help?"

Hotaru could use the help – she could barely be able to get up on her own will after something so devastating quite literally blew up in her face, on _both_ ends of the clash. She took the hand of Aoi and was helped back to her feet in one pull...

...and she immediately clung onto Aoi's body in a hug, looking as if she wanted to fight back tears of worry that would try and come through from her ducts.

In this, she provided the ultimatum that she wanted the Kusanagi prospect to follow. "Please, promise me this – no matter what happens... you don't let it get to you."

Aoi didn't want to hold too tightly on her burdens. She knew of what baggage she had to carry thanks to her troubled past, and she knew what another with a similar curse felt.

" _I didn't have to live this way – but I choose now to hold my own against what tries to pry me from my mind..._ "

Aoi had tears of her own she had to enclose from release – and by this point, she had returned the embrace to the young Kenpo saint wrapped around her body.

"Don't worry... I won't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoi vs. Hotaru was mainly a sort of throwaway / filler fight, I'll admit, but that's mainly because I wanted to end it on a fairly major fight to close the first round, like they should. Really, the ending portion of the match and the aftermath were what I actually enjoyed the most writing for with this fight.
> 
> Next Chapter: And now... ...Another brief breather chapter – yes, by process of elimination, you know which two ladies have yet to do battle. Not just a little bit of prelude for those two heading into the final prelim match, but we will also see two first-round winners experiencing a bit of 'comfort', if you catch my drift.


	23. INTERLUDE: Roman Hands, Russian Fingers

Having accomplished a grand victory to start off her week with the tournament, and afterwards being patched up for the cuts and bruises received, Mai Shiranui had one path left to go for the day – straight to bed.

She knocked and opened the door to her appointed room, and was met with Yuri on the other side, casually seated on the bed to the left with her eyes peering down at her phone.

Yuri didn't notice her friend coming in at first, and once her eyes glared off her phone and towards the door, she looked a little caught off-guard. Considering Aoi and Hotaru's bout had just ended by this point, and in regards to the other 'Women's Fighter Team' teammates, the karate girl was thinking Mai would've spent a little more time coping with the cuts and bruises she accumulated.

"Oh... hey there." Yuri fumbled a tiny bit with the greeting, having spent a bit too much focus on the phone for reasons to get to momentarily.

"Hey, Yuri." Mai greeted back, paying no mind to her friend's awkwardness. "Uhh... you mind?"

"Oh, right." Yuri scooched to the right a little bit, allowing enough room for the kunoichi to get re-acquainted with the bed.

Indeed, Mai did – by straight up plopping onto it, basically burying her face against the comfortable surface. She muffled, "Ohhh, I soooo needed this~!"

Though her eyes were starting to glance back towards her phone, Yuri could tell there was a feeling of exhaustion within her busty friend, especially in regards to the match the kunoichi went through. She asked, "Gotta say, you did great out there – even if the bird girl did a number on you in return."

Mai picked her head off the bed, retorting. "Damn right she did." She looked back at her left arm, which was now wrapped in ( _slightly bloodied_ ) bandages over where the significant wound was. Certainly wasn't going away so easily. "So how's _your_ day been?"

After a little bit of hesitation, Yuri responded. "Well... I've been keeping up with King since... well, since _Lien_ happened to her."

Mai would go without hearing about that brutal match again. She'd much rather deal with her own injuries... "How's she been?"

The Kyokugen girl detailed, "She's just _now_ getting out of treatment – thankfully nothing too serious, but she was out for a while, and she only just woke up like... right before _your_ match, I think."

Yuri had found out all this through texting the defeated bartender throughout the latter part of the hour – the very first text King had sent out after waking, it seemed, was a bluntly honest 'I feel like shit'. Further details had included some tidbits about how her other wounds had been treated while she was out, among other little things. Other than that, things were starting to lighten back up between them.

Yuri noted further, "She's gonna stop by our room and try and give us a little bit of a celebration for our victories – Alice also wants to stop by, but she's gonna need some help getting around since... well..."

"Yeah, I might've skimmed by her match – what's the deal there?" Mai didn't catch much of the young blonde's fight against Angel, but she saw it ended pretty prematurely with some implied unfortunate circumstances for the Fatal Cutie.

summed it up about as short and simple as she could. "Oh, her ankle's _fucked_."

Admittedly, that was quite the unsurprising news to figure out, especially from seeing the turnout of that match's outcome. Something went wrong for the Fatal Cutie, for sure. "Would've figured. That Angel chick's got some strong tits on her."

Yuri replied, "Still not as strong as yours, I bet."

Mai let out a flattered giggle, as she rolled over onto her back. "Thanks for that; I could use a bit of cheering up while I'm so sweaty and bothered. Not for a second was I expecting something lighter out of a tournament like this – but even then, whew~!"

Every muscle on Mai's voluptuous body was left exhausted from the 110% she gave against Nakoruru, and her limbs were enveloped in achiness and exhaustion. "Uh, Yuri?"

"Hmm?"

"You wouldn't mind helping me relax, wouldn't you?"

Yuri blinked twice, slightly reluctant to figuring out how the kunoichi was going to 'relax'. "Uhhh...

"Yeah, I know – usually, Andy handles that sort of work on me, but... at this point, I'm open to anyone while I'm away from him." Mai's eyes pleaded like someone who would certainly benefit from the help. "C'mon – for a friend?"

It's not like Yuri needed much preparation to get handy with someone like how her friend needed – she had taken off her gloves long before, though only because it would've gotten in the way of her fiddling with her phone. Still, she was a little unsure since she was dealing with someone who was already taken, even if that someone was _drop dead gorgeous_. On the other hand, it's not like it was out in public or within somewhere where people could find out real quick – and she trusted the people working on the tournament to keep details _within_ the mansion.

"Uh... alright..." Yuri moved herself closer to the kunoichi laying supine. "Just know I don't really know my way around a massage.

"No, it's fine – c'mon, start from here." Mai offered her left arm up towards the karate girl sitting beside her. "Just work around the bandage, okay?

Yuri complied, still a little awkward about tip-toeing around this whole deal. She eventually took a hand into Mai's, a bit of intertwining between their fingers as Yuri slowly started with the wrist and worked down, outside of the obvious radius of the injury – she went from forearm to shoulder, handling the kunoichi's tense shoulder muscles with as much care as she knew to provide with it.

"Hmhmhmmm... feeling better already." Mai found it a little easier to roll her shoulder in little circles, as her friend felt it out.

Yuri was starting to get into the groove from here, sliding a slight more closer until her knees started to touch the shoulders of her on-and-off KoF partner. "Alright, you need to be up a little bit for this..." Soon enough, her hands hovered beneath the crevice between the bed and Mai's shoulders, as she started to push her up into an upright, seated position. "Just... up you go~"

Though it probably wasn't a great idea to sit up, Mai trusted Yuri to help her feel better all around after such undertaking through her fight against Nakoruru, even with the inexperience in something like this – the Kyokugen girl's firm, combat-experienced hands felt about on the kunoichi's back, switching between wavy motions and something more circular as Yuri tried to figure out the prime format to this nice and smooth rubdown.

Mai felt her spine relax a little bit as she allowed the Sakazaki prospect to buff out the kinks and bruises piled up from the Nakoruru fight, and she hummed casually to herself as she closed her eyes and kept a hold of her happiest of thoughts. It felt great to unwind after a hard-fought battle, even more when a friend was alongside her to help with the mental repose the ninja needed in the midst of combat going around the mansion. The next match was probably going to start up any minute now...

All the while, as she worked out the smooth-as-butter skin of the sexy kunoichi, Yuri eventually surveyed the white strands that were splintered into halves out the back of Mai's apparel. "Geez, this looks like it's in some rough shape – surprised you haven't fallen out of your costume with this ropes all... snapped and stuff."

Mai then admitted, "I _almost_ did, a couple times in the care room – but they know what they're doing."

It was at that moment, recalling back to the makeshift infirmary, that something suddenly came to the ninja babe's mind. "Oh! Almost forgot..."

Yuri leaned out from behind Mai. "Forgot what? There another kink to work out or something?"

Mai started to fiddle within her attire, in between her breasts, for something. " _Well_... I'm not exactly invulnerable to the flames – especially when the 'bird girl' flung them back at me," she explained. "Chiz recommended I tend to my goods with something nice and wet. Aloe vera, lotion, et cetera – something that isn't an oil or something like it."

Yeah, Yuri didn't notice it at first, but she did start to realize that the area around the exposed chest of the kunoichi was a _little_ red, and looked as if it could need tending to in some way or another.

Mai's explanation continued from there, "I'm not letting my looks get too fucked up – we all got fans to please, after all. Hup~!"

Mai tossed something over her shoulder, right into Yuri's reflexively catching hands – a nice little bottle of honey.

Mai explained the choice before Yuri could figure it out on her own. "I decided on something that'll smell nice – just for the hell of it. Might wanna shift around to apply it, I hope you don't mind."

"I, uh... I think I can handle it." Yuri went straight ahead to squirt a bit of the fluid and spread it about on her hands. "Uh, if I get a little bit too hands-on—"

"No-no, that's fine by me. It's just us girls hanging around, no need to be shy about it." Mai was laying back down at this point, ready for the honey.

"...I guess."

Shifting about, curving around in a 180, Yuri found herself straddling atop her 'alluring ninja' friend, her hands slick with the honey seconds before she started to feel them against the space above Mai's breasts, helping to rub down the spotty redness on her tense skin.

At first, Mai winced. "Ngh, not _too_ rough now..." She tried to giggle it off along the way.

"Sorry~" Yuri softly apologized, awkwardly chuckling to herself whilst calming the circular movement on her friend's chest.

Once things settled down into a rhythmic rubbing onto her body, Mai nearly let herself go limp in allowing herself to the touch of another. "Mmmmm..."

Those moans sounded a bit sensual, admittedly... she was a tad overwhelmed with the sensation spreading about on her body – she needed a little bit of something to hold onto, and she ultimately chose to have a grasp onto Yuri's legs. She had a brief squeeze when she initially grabbed onto the thighs enveloped beneath those sleek purple leggings of Yuri, and the feeling was too smooth to let go of.

"Oh wow..."

"How's that feelin' for you?" asked Yuri, having heard Mai moan out. She had to think it was all from the tangy honey touch, and the nice smell slowly flourishing.

Mai responded, a serenely amazed tone lying within how she spoke. "Yeah, it—it feels awesome... It's just... I think we're both feeling some good stuff outta this."

Yuri had not paid attention to her legs being slowly felt up and down – but at this exact point, she had realized it from the particular squeeze on her leggings, as Mai's left hand hovered especially high on her. "Whoa~!"

Mai giggled in amazement at the toned, shapely nature of Yuri's kickin' limbs. "Wow... all that karate's gotten you feeling real fit around there." Almost a tantalizing feeling, on top of the welcoming feeling atop her chest.

"Y-yeah... _real fit_." Yuri was starting to share the hot and bothered feeling – she wasn't quite in support of how, but she just kinda let it happen without her input, continuing to roam her hands about, a little wider by this point, around Mai's chest in need of slickness.

However, on Mai's point of view, she was less focused on the honey spread glistening on her body, and more on where her hands were going. Something about how it felt to especially focus on the legs of the karate babe left the lusty kunoichi a little entranced by it, continuing to grab and squeeze at it.

"Uhhhhhh~," Yuri's voice quivered as she whimpered awkwardly against the fondling going on around her lower body. Even _she_ was starting to lose focus with the whole massage plan they started with.

Mai assured, "Don't mind me – just tryin' to have a little bit of fun myself..."

This was promptly followed up by the complete abandonment of the ninja dame's resistance to the thickness going on in the palms of her hands, and getting herself two handfuls, bringing her hands fully against Yuri's spandex-encased buttocks with an audible _**smack!**_

" _Oooh_ -kay...!" Yuri's face was flushed with red by this point, as she held down the urge to moan; she started to shift away from atop Mai's body, trying to escape before it gets _too_ weird for her to handle. "Uhh, I think you're good enough—!"

"Oh, nonono, Yuri, gimme a moment with this!" Mai was no longer being subtle about what kind of kicks this was getting out of her, as she started to sit back up, embracing her friend into a hug that was mostly intent to hold her down by her legs.

For a second, Yuri struggled a bit with the grasp the kunoichi locked her down tightly with, but she couldn't help but admit there was something deep within her that wanted to see where things went from here – and from the looks of it, the whole situation was now revolved around her fine booty.

"Seriously, girl," chuckled Mai, "you're making up for your upper half with all this meat down here!" She allowed her palms to lay idly around Yuri's buttocks as she pulled the karate girl down a little more against the bed. "Maybe bend yourself a little, poke your butt out a little more?" She knew a thing or two about showing off 'them curves', and was willing to pass it along, even if it was just for her own spontaneous interests here and now.

Though Yuri unconsciously complied to arch herself a little bit to provide Mai the curvature she wanted, she knew this _really_ wasn't what the handy ninja usually did with her fellow ladies, and it certainly smelled not of honey, but of something based on cause-and-effect – maybe time away from her lover without much 'action', alongside the whole business with the massage and the slickening rubdown, was getting the kunoichi a little... _thirsty._

Yuri had given up the resistance to the kunoichi's deviant touch a while ago, and was almost unable to speak for a moment longer, opting more for unsure groans and stutters. " _U~h~hhhhhh..._ "

"I usually don't do this, but I gotta find out..." Mai's hands found the waistband of Yuri's leggings, pulling downwards on it almost immediately to find the skin beneath the spandex. It was a little more than she expected, as Yuri's plump rump fluffed out into freedom from beneath the purple tights like muffin tops — and like muffins, that ass looked more than good enough to maybe munch on. " _God damn_ – this is ridiculous. Robert must be getting it on with you for a _reason_."

Yuri eventually found some words escaping her throat, "Y-yeah... he's k-kind of an ass man, I'l—I'll admit..."

It had devolved from the warmth and comfort of the massage – and Mai, with eyes closed shut in naughty imaginings, was just plain nuzzling at the right hip right against Yuri's partially exposed butt, humming happily with what she couldn't resist any longer. Compared to her own shapely butt, which she would've still considered superior to the 'weapon of ass destruction' found within Yuri's pants, Mai was basically magnetized. "Fuck, we need to do stuff like this _more often_." She succumbed to a happy little giggly fit as she hugged Yuri's butt for as long as she could.

And then the door opened up again.

From there, Mai's smile faded when she opened her eyes and immediately felt herself as being caught in among the most compromising of positions – she basically fell into a catatonic state.

"W-what's wrong? What did—?" Yuri almost toppled herself over shifting her body around to look towards the door – and she cut herself short once she saw what greeted those two.

King stared back from the doorway, looking utterly baffled and stunned silent as the two girls who were engaged in silly buttplay not too far from where she stood. To her left, only able to stand as much as she could with the crutch she was appointed, Alice looked... just _very_ confused about what she was looking at.

Almost too sheepish for words, Alice managed to let out a question to King. "...is this what you girls usually do when you're together?"

"No," answered King. "It isn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: With silly naughtiness out of the way for this chapter, Leona clashes with the Hakkesshu, having to engage against the sharp-nailed Mature in the final match of the Tournament of Dignity's first round! Will the Ikari Warrior hold back the wrath of Orochi's remnants, or will pure evil score another win heading into the second round?


	24. Round 1 Finale: Leona Heidern vs. Mature

** OPENING ROUND – MATCH #16 (FINAL)   
** **Leona Heidern vs. Mature**

* * *

Fully prepared for the combat to come, Leona stood still in the midst of a near-empty hall, the air much more quiet than usual, to the point of it being almost completely silent, aside from one consistent sound.

_Thump-thump... Thump-thump..._

Her heartbeat was usually her way of detecting it – the underlying essence of darkness, absolute impure wickedness coming her way. With 30 other competitors having come and gone through the same ritual of battle throughout the day, it was nearing nightfall when it was down to her, and the one other person she had to face. She couldn't care less about 'bragging rights' or giving Blanctorche the strong showing of what she considered a dignified fighter – her mission lied elsewhere, towards a more personal gain, and she was looking to at least partially fulfill it with this match.

Footsteps drew closer and closer to the premises of the combat zone – and out the corner of the soldier's eye, a she-devil emerged...

"How lovely of you to wait for me..."

Mature's sultry voice resounded through the quiet hall, as she surfaced out into her opponent's sight, in a good-as-new suit, looking the same as the one she ended up disposing of after some very _frisky_ business with her partner earlier in the day. Speaking of, Vice was noticeably absent for the moment – possibly still tending to the knife wound, and whatever else had come around for her between then and now.

Leona's silent stare was often cold enough to freeze the composure of a fellow competitor – dealing with a member of the Hakkesshu, however, it didn't have much of an effect on the sinister blonde coming closer?

"Same as ever, eh?" Mature then giggled. "If I didn't know those eyes like Orochi did, I would've figured you might have a thing for me."

Leona retorted simply, "That's enough out of you."

Mature continued to act at least relatively 'social' towards the Ikari Warrior before her. "Hmph. Can't handle a little banter? Everyone's been partaking in it – no need to shy away from a bit of fun here and there..."

"No. This won't be 'fun' – _this_ is an intervention." Leona didn't forget the destruction Vice brought upon her enlisted partner in Fio, and she would never let go of it unless she brought closure to the feud, here and now.

The supposedly 'assuring' smile on Mature started to fade as she shrugged and kept her distance, finding no need for further foreplay before trading fists. "Whatever – we've dealt with your little friend, I'll be sure to do the same with you."

"I'm ending the carnage before it begins." Leona's hands posed out beyond her sides, flat-palmed and pointed out towards her target. "Prepare yourself, vixen."

"Vixen? You're _far_ too kind..." Mature let her right hand linger out confidently as she too took position for the battle.

Good and evil stood only a few feet from making contact – and only one would win.

_**FIGHT!** _

Leona took no time to make physical contact with her rival; she rushed against Mature within seconds later, attempting to tackle the sinister being to the ground, and although Mature had managed to prevent a grounded-down situation and held her own against the soldier's pushing power, that was only at the _first_ moment. Before it could be countered in some way, Leona curved her force towards the left and drove straight against the hallway wall to that direction, pinning against it and going in immediately for hard blows to follow up.

Even then, though, Leona had to deal with her opponent's impressive reflexes, as her first fist missed as a result of Mature flicking her neck away from contact – instead, that fist met the wall, and cracked it, but from there, Leona shook off the stinging of her knuckles and tried again with another punch. Same result, different side of the head, as Mature evaded the other way and caused the Ikari Warrior to put _another_ subtle crack, almost identical to the last, into the wall.

Mature swooped an arm underneath one of Leona's legs and swept the stoic lady right out from under her own feet – the Hakkesshu beauty took a position atop her foe as they barreled down to the floor together, and Leona was quickly handled down by the wrists as the blonde on top of her gazed deeply on her with pain intent.

It didn't take long for Mature to start taunting as she pinned down the soldier, refusing to let go those cracks in the wall that the match had already prompted. "You might want to be careful where your fists go around here – you may risk Blanctorche's wrath."

The pseudo-unassuming giggle of the seductress did not budge Leona's mind, as she swung one leg in a sideways curve and hooked around against Mature's waist, putting nothing but her own strength towards the right as she keeled the position over and under, forcing Mature to the ground and then stomping down on her. The rough-heeled boot was grinding briefly against Mature's gut as she grabbed against it with both hands. Her legs extended up from her kneeling/laying position as she lifted herself back into active action, but Leona continued to fight valiantly against the Hakkesshu lady's attempts at defense, pushing her against the wall with the stomping foot and continuing to rush down on her.

Leona slammed her right forearm against the neck of Mature, while having to fight off the thrusting kick beneath that lopped her somewhat in the stomach. The Ikari soldier's face still read as nearly emotionless, but one could still recognize the disdain she had for followers of the Orochi, from how aggressively she was going at her opponent.

The match didn't find a legitimate topple of momentum yet, however, so Leona wasn't going to hold onto any sort of an advantage for too much longer. With a swift swipe across, Mature caught Leona with a fierce right-hand slap across the face, the nails pointing out at an angle to scratch efficiently and budge the stoic soldier enough to force her away.

Leona immediately felt the air tingling against the fresh scratches decorating her left cheek, but she wasn't going to let it slow her pace in the brawl. Unfortunately, the focused bluenette had no choice in the matter – Mature had returned the favor with a tackle of her own to smash Leona against that very same wall, and the blonde's right hand afterwards charged out against the center of Leona's face, attempting to gouge at her eyes and nose with no lingering regret to dirty tactics.

Again, Leona fought back with punches, this time aiming below where Mature was focusing with her own defense – once the Ikari Warrior managed to settle into a brief combo with the stomach jabs, she managed to lop aside Mature's head with a resounding slap to trade back for the clawed aggression she received not long before. When that didn't do much beyond staggering the reserved psychopath, a jumping kick of Leona's ultimately provided the knockdown on Mature that was quite necessary for the Ikari Warrior's advantage.

Mature slid down against the wall for a moment as she took a moment of reprieve, leaving her open to further punishment. Though retaining the stoic expression, Leona felt as though she was very much welcome to settling the vendetta from the first round and beyond – she rushed forward with hands preparing energy, intending to slice apart this feud until it was nothing but minuscule bits and pieces.

 _Mature blocked it_ , with a grasp upon both hands, before it could fully unleash – handling the opponent's wrist with each of her own well-clutching hands, the blonde put a boot against the well-defined stomach of Leona, seconds before the mercenary would break free of the nightmarish beauty's grasp. Right as she escaped, however, Leona took more slashing punishment as Mature did a cross-slash of her own with her razor-sharp nails, indirectly trimming off a few strands of blue hair in the process. From here, Mature continued her very handsy approach on the soldier before her, as she grabbed Leona by the face and forced her against the wall – a plentiful amount of wall-hogging action, it looked like.

Mature spoke down to her opponent in a moment of dominance... "In life _and_ in death, we take what we want – you just need to learn to accept it."

Leona only grunted out against the violent blonde, her frustration to the dispute clear as she struggled against it. It evolved quite negatively into a brief yell for her, as Mature's hand felt roughly against the fresh wounds on the left side of her face. Suddenly, the Ikari soldier felt herself being dragged across the width of the hall, smashing against the opposite wall in an eerily similar situation to how her partner in Fio fared against the other half of the devious duo they were set against. Leona felt her back smash horrifically into the hard surface a few times more before Mature unhanded her, seeming to want to consider something else for a change.

The soldier started to crumble onto her knees, feeling a little hazy as she took enough particular damage to render some uncomfortable feelings not only downwards on her spine, in a near ripple wave down to her legs, but also upwards up her neck and head in the wide aftershock. Even her ears nearly felt disconnected internally, as she lost some of what she heard outside of the littlest ambiance, and the heartbeat within that intensified slightly at the moment – as if more of a presence emerged...

_Thump-thump... Thump-thump..._

The reason for that quickly became clear – the odd absence that initially graced the fight was unfortunately filled, as Vice was now seen off to the side, still not quite 100% with what she's experienced thus far.

As though things couldn't be _more_ of a problem for Leona's usually well-handled mental state...

"Fuck..." Vice cricked her neck around, working out the kinks of her remaining discomfort. "Anything I miss?"

"Nothing of importance," Mature responded back. "Just ridding ourselves of the filth, as usual..."

Mature clutched onto the blue hair of her opponent, scruffing it more as she pulled on the locks and dragged her current 'victim' to their feet. However, that was only as far as she got before she was suddenly struck... Leona broke away from the handling of the Hakkesshu menace, swiping her right hand across and rendering a slice against Mature's midsection, with enough strength and sharpness in its aura to actually tear into the attire of the blonde – it even tore beyond, scratching significantly into the skin beneath the suit and sparking a drip of blood.

It all wound up seeming like a reflection to an earlier case, as the cut rendered at the right of Mature's gut in a similar, though not as drastic, fashion to the stab wound Vice picked up in _her_ bout. Regardless, Mature was not taking it sitting down, as she retorted with a hand swiping outwards for some potential facial reconstruction, but Leona halted the claw and continued to work on the wound of her opponent with a boot against the gut, before grabbing Mature by the throat and forcing her to take her turn against the wall.

" _You stay out of this._ " Leona glared out at the spectating redhead, slicing into the presence of the Orochi with the eyes as sharp as shattered glass.

Vice stared back in a snide disdain towards the soldier of opposing hair color – forced to stand by or else risk disqualification, she watched as Mature's struggle continued for a brief moment longer right in front of her.

Eventually, Mature broke loose from her predicament, kicking Leona with a sharp hard-toed thrust forward against her chest. Recontinuing her offense, the vicious blonde secretary swiped left and right with a couple more kicks that started to rip into the green attire of Leona, maintaining a forced position right against the wall the soldier was stood against in the narrow hallway that could nearly render claustrophobia with how tight it was in its overall width.

Mature brought in the finality of this specific combo of kicks, with one more slashing upwards in such a flexible stretch of her reckless footwork – even the air looked to be visibly sliced away, right before Leona's shirt followed suit, ripping open alongside the vibrant red blood that flung itself out into the open from the significant cut that rendered in the middle of her chest.

Now the two competitors both had their fair share of wounds received from the other, and the painting of the walls in the red of humanity being demolished in the enclosure started to ensue as the crescent trail of blood from the significant slashing kick splattered on the curve end of where the wall and ceiling met behind and above where it came from. Leona stumbled back into the wall again, her spine pressed against it as Mature held her in place with her lingering right foot.

"Are you ready to yield _now_ , soldier?"

"Nngh... go to hell..." Leona strained out, still taking in the lingering pain of the cut rendered right up her chest and the bottom end of her neck.

The adoptive daughter of Heidern was at a state of disorder now, exhausted and stressed by the punishment she took time and time again throughout the fight. Even with the integrity still relatively intact, the blood that started to sporadically paint about around the locale of the fight had not done justice to the type of situation that Leona had finally found herself in.

Mature tilted herself forwards, nearly touching faces with her opponent in a matter of an uncomfortably close situation. "Who am I to be surprised that someone such as you would not give in as easily as the rest? Such a shame, but such a blessing in disguise."

As the sadistic blonde spoke, one of her hands hovered out to a side and began to fondle against the right ear of the soldier. Her professionally stoic and focused nature depleting even if barely, Leona winced briefly as the sharp-nailed thumb of her opponent started to scratch ever so slightly into her ear canal, but just the brief flinch of her body prompted something further in the Orochi follower. Mature's other hand shoved itself against the chest of Leona, right where the dreadful wound was at its most open. That roaming hand not only toyed with the wound in parts and bits, but also the shirt of the green attire; from the looks of things, the seductive nightmare looked to be trying to rip further into the increasingly tattered clothing, threatening to expose more skin alongside those bothersome cuts, just for some personal dominance and sick kicks – along with maybe fulfilling another very fucked up fetish for her red-haired cohort watching on from a short distance away.

Mature giggled with upmost confidence, toying with the body of her opponent with methodical and sinister intentions. "No need to resist – simply entrust yourself to my hands, just this once..."

Boundaries were far beyond stepped over, clearly – and Leona wasn't going to let it advance further. Before too much of her was unveiled into the sight of her opponent, Leona retaliated swiftly with a strike, her left fist swinging across with her thumb pointing out and jabbing straight into the right eye of Mature. Keeping the thumb forced against the eye of her opponent, Leona again forced the momentum towards her own favor as she shoved the Hakkesshu bitch against the opposing wall of the hallway.

As soon as her eye caught the full brunt of the thumbing jab, Mature lost the smooth composure and was back into defense as she dealt with the pained struggled with nothing more than pure frustration.

"You _bitch...!_ " Mature's left hand jabbed out at a downward curve towards Leona's midsection, clawing against the soldier's stomach with nails that slightly dug themselves through the fabric on impact alone, but just that alone wasn't benefiting much to her newfound situation as she was still getting her right eye gouged into her socket.

Vice was not liking what she was seeing right now, with her partner on the ropes at the moment. "Fuck's sake – if I have to get involved, tournament be damned, I will...!"

Without even a slight bit of hesistation, Leona acted on the possibility of interference – removing the earring on her right ear, she tossed it a slight way's towards the frustrated redhead – within seconds, there was a bright flash and eventually a cloud of smoke, and the potential incoming interference was dealt with quite swiftly.

With the smoke and light bellowing across the hall, all Leona and Mature could see were themselves, being so close against each other in the struggle, and at this point, Leona had the upper hand on things with fierce knees driving against the gut of Mature again and again _and again_ while she continued to handle her thumb against the eye of her opponent.

After what felt like an hour's worth of eye-involved punishment, Mature was briefly relieved to feel her right eye escape the clutches of her opponent before she'd need that eyepatch again – though she would realize very soon enough it wasn't quite the end for her pain.

Slicing crosswise with both hands, the blue chi of Leona's sharp power slashed against Mature with no resistance met on fabric or body – a significant splatter of blood spurted out at the Hakkesshu secretary's sides as she slammed back against the wall with a harrowing scream. It was _still_ not quite the end just yet, as Leona's right hand sparked with one last bit of punishment coming right up – slicing down against Mature's body, and then right back up to form a brief V shape lingering around the opponent, it sizzled briefly on the front and back.

A brief, firey explosion ensued, and a sizable amount of the wall had crumbled in the process, leaving dust alongside the destruction right in front of Leona as she watched it go down. Her serious nature had recovered well by this point, as she stared against the cloud of dust to survey the outcome of her techniques.

Once everything settled, it had become clear just how Mature's condition had resulted from the fight, as she was on the ground, a bloody, twitching mess ravaged by soot and flame in the midst of the gaping hole in the wall that was now leading out into the outdoors as a result of the fight's destructive end. Once the barely-conscious body of eventually slinked through the hole and out into the grassy outdoors with a thud, it was clear just who could be considered the winner now.

**WINNER: Leona Heidern**

* * *

"We're done here," Leona simply declared through a slightly shortened breath, as she broke away from her fighting stance and stood straight as a woman accomplished. She started to make her leave – but other factors proved against her destination.

The blue-haired soldier was suddenly swooped away from where she was about to go, and brought against the remnants of the half-destroyed wall by the angered other-half of the targets of her self-appointed mission.

"Not just yet, you smileless piece of shit," Vice growled out, with one hand pressing against Leona's wounded chest, and the other firmly wrapped around the throat. "Like it or not, you're not ruining any more of what we want to do with this pathetic little tournament! Even if I have to do it alone...!"

Having already dealt with one supreme nuisance that could've potentially defeated her, Leona was not exactly ready to tackle another – thankfully, she wouldn't have to, thanks to further interventions...

Quite abruptly, Vice was tackled at her left and surprisingly floored in one fell swoop by another incoming character.

From how sudden that person sped into the fray and caught the remaining Hakkesshu psychopath when she least expected it, Leona almost couldn't tell who exactly was coming to her rescue – but soon she recognized the red and black colors of the cavalry's biker jumpsuit, and the recollection of the fellow woman came smoothly to her.

"Don't even think about it, you crazy stupid fuck!" Partially intent on dealing with her Orochi-themed problems head-on, Aoi was raining down punches on Vice outside of Leona's line of sight while the soldier was recovering on her own. The Kusanagi relative's frustrated voice was alongside sounds of _very_ hard punches making consistent contact – spending more time having to catch her breath than anything else at the moment, Leona didn't bother to look towards the sudden fight going on

"You okay?" A hand wavered down towards Leona, and she glanced up at a slightly ruffled up Aoi in turn, confirming the Kusanagi's having come out on top of that brief incident. As the soldier accepted the hand of the biker and was helped up, she couldn't help but wonder...

"...You came to help me?" Leona seemed a little... surprised by _who_ she was being aided by at this moment – it wasn't quite like they were the _best_ of friends just yet, let alone ladies who knew each other for _more than a day._

Aoi explained, "The fight wasn't too far from where I was watching – I figured something was gonna go down after the end, and I wasn't gonna just sit there and let it happen... especially with someone like _her_ involved..." She glanced towards where Vice laid not too far away, the redhead still somewhat conscious, cursing under her breath.

Leona began to speak up again, "You didn't have to..."

"But I _did,_ " Aoi said. "Trust me – this was too personal for me to let by. I just..."

The conversation quickly started to stumble into some unfortunately awkward silence, as expressions to discuss how they're feeling by the end of all this chaos would need words that weren't yet found at the moment – a lot had happened within this past half-hour between the both of them, and it was more than a little difficult to move past it all by just standing there and talking about it.

"Let's... let's just get out of here... okay?" Aoi kept herself close to Leona, an arm wrapped around the back of the soldier to make sure she didn't have too much trouble moving about.

"Right..." Leona nodded, allowing an arm of her own to curve around the shoulders of Aoi.

The two made their way out of the scene of the battle, leaving the crumbled forces of Hakkesshu alone with the dirt, fire and scattered concrete accumulated.

The first round was finally at an end now, as newfound friends wanted to settle down from the high-impact violence and see what comes next...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal for this chapter was at least 3K words with most of it consisting of the fight, and I think I might've accomplished it quite well, all things considered.
> 
> So with that, the first round of the Tournament of Dignity is finally at a close, after months of writing and seeing so many ladies duke it out.  
> Let's see the 16 fortunates who managed to break through to the second round:
> 
> Mainline KoF: Leona Heidern, Kula Diamond, Angel, Vice, Shermie, Luong  
> KoF Spinoffs: Aoi Kusanagi, Moe Habana, Mignon Beart, Lien Neville, Nagase  
> Art of Fighting / Fatal Fury: Yuri Sakazaki, Mai Shiranui, Blue Mary Ryan  
> The Rest: Love Heart, Athena Asamiya
> 
> With some darkhorse victories, a couple surprising losses, and a more than a few obvious victors, the second round is looking quite interesting. For the next couple chapters, though, there's gonna be a bit of an afterparty for those who remain, and maybe a bit of something for the other half of the spectrum that couldn't make it to the second round. Considering I've had a few weeks of sporadic writing for just this round-ending chapter alone, it may be a little while – more than likely, I'll probably be finished working on the whole between-rounds set of chapters before I continue updating, so be sure to hold onto that patience for a little bit while I figure things out. See you then!


	25. POST-ROUND: Road to Recovery

Around 7 PM, as it would be in the Central European time zone, was around the point where the tournament's aftermath was starting to truly settle – the past hour saw the last handful of matches in this long afternoon of fists thrown, blood spilled and more than bones being broken, and beyond the medical evaluations and other necessary needs for recovery, all that was truly left to do was let the rest of the night unwind into celebration and relaxation.

* * *

"Mary – quick quess'ion..."

"Yeah?"

"Y' think I wen' a lil' too hard on th' drink?"

Probably super easy to take a guess on the answer – Vanessa was filled up enough on the sweet stuff to the point of being unable to go anywhere without having herself draped around her partner.

"I think you tried a little to hard to impress that kid," answered Mary. It was only natural that the post-match get-together between the two fighting agents and Tsugumi would end in someone getting tipsy, and of the three, it was the most obvious candidate to take the booze-infused cake.

"C'mon, 'Nes. You need somewhere to lay down for a little bit." Mary was on her way to bring her drunken partner back to the recovery room – a closer path from the bar room than the one back to their own proper accommodations. The door was always open, equally welcoming to any and all who needed some sort of help whether after a match or something that acquired the necessary attention.

Recent patients by the end of the round included Ai coming off a horrific chill from all that snow, as well as relatively recovered girls in May Lee, Nakoruru and Hotaru. No sign of Mature after her recent KO, and that would be for a reason coming later...

As soon as the two entered the room, another voice sounded off within it, that being the enlisted maid in Iroha. "What seems to be the problem over here?" she asked.

Mary explained to the maid. "Just dropping off someone who needs to sober up." With a little bit of struggle, she heaved the shitfaced body of her friend onto the nearest unoccupied bed. "You wouldn't mind fetching some water so she doesn't feel too much like shit in the morning, would ya?"

Iroha accepted the order with a light bow. "Right away, miss."

"Well, clearly, you two had some fun..."

Mary turned in a half-circle to meet the voice talking to her – which belonged to Aoi, who was besides the bed to the right alongside the again-stoic yet relaxed Leona, just minutes off from the insanity of the first round's finale match and its aftermath. The soldier clearly needed some checking up on her wounds, and the biker alongside her was hanging by for the long run.

"Oh, hey," Mary greeted. Immediately, she started to recall, "Glad to see you girls survived all that stuff with the secretaries."

"Barely," Aoi said back. "You know how they are; all grabby and scratchy. Was it _ever_ gonna be easy? Hell no... but we pulled through."

"We'd drink to that. Well... at this point, probably just me." Mary looked back towards her intoxicated partner for a moment, before returning back to the conversation. "Uhh, Leona – anything to say?"

As usual, Leona didn't have much input to put in, but her thoughts towards those Orochi vixens was simple and effective. "Hmph... they were better off staying dead."

Mary paused for a moment, as if to speak up on that thought... before ultimately giving in to full agreement. "Speaking for all of us there."

Aoi nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure it wasn't just me who wanted competition to come first in all this – then the crazies come piling in." She was probably the most objected to people like those of the Hakkesshu getting involved in the business of this quote 'private tournament'. "Already knocked out one part of that problem – here's to hoping we deal with the rest of it before... well..."

"Before..." Mary rolled her hand out, hoping to help the Kusanagi prospect finish the sentence. "...Yeah?"

The sporadically spoken Leona coined in, "It's complicated."

Looking into the potential connection that she noticed between Aoi and Leona at this point and the obvious connection the step-daughter of Heidern had towards the Orochi, some pieces _started_ to click in Mary's head.

Unfortunately, it was still a bit of an incomplete puzzle. The blonde agent eventually spoke again, "Well, I sure as hell hope we don't fall too deep into that..."

 _Tink-thud~!_ "Shit."

The first thing that sprung to mind to all that heard the brief noise resulted in focus turning towards Vanessa, and her unfortunate attempt at handling the sobering water – with a limp wrist knocking it over within seconds of delivery. The redhead muttered, unable to even curl her fingers around the now-tipped over glass.

Within the awkward silence, Mary made sure to explain to Iroha, "She had a shit-ton to drink. Also, the whole fight she had earlier, with her head going through the wall... _probably_ not a good idea to try and let her try and handle anything right now."

Iroha nodded, showing some light worry with the buzzed condition of the boxer. "Hmm. I suppose a refill is needed here..."

"Yeah, y' do that, lady," Vanessa slurred briefly, swatting out at the air in front of her as the maid before her made her way back to the nearby sink. Afterwards, the redhead agent let her face sink a little more into the bed beneath her... "Man, this shit's comfy..."

Even with the acknowledgment of how deep of a stupor Vanessa was with all the stuff she had to drink, and how much she really needed the recovery after such an eventful day for her, it was hard not to admit it was kind of a cute sight to see an often-professional agent being so far off her brain as a result.

Mary had a bit of a positively baffled grin on her face. "You thinkin' you can handle being here while you sober up?

Vanessa retorted, "Yea'. Whatev'r. As long 's that maid keeps— _urp_ —keeps up th' good work." She rolled over onto her left side, maintaining a glance towards the appointed maid that was continuing to provide aid. It may have been—scratch that, it was _totally_ the alcohol talking, but the redhead was incredibly focused on that cute servant and that... _intriguing_ attire.

A brief silence, and then Vanessa finally started to speak up on those thoughts... "'Nother question, Mary?"

"Yeah?"

"You think if I ask her to sit on m' face, she'd do it?"

Mary's eyebrows raised up so fast they could've flung off into orbit if they weren't bound to her face. "... _What_."

Even Aoi to the side leaned out upon overhearing. "Uhh... she just asked what I thought she just asked, right?"

Vanessa drunkenly chuckled in response to the baffled reaction besides her. "Fuck's sake, girls – have y' seen that maid's ass? Someone's gotta put that trunk to good use..."

Mary found it hard to stiffle her utter bewilderment. "'Nes, please – you're drunk, if you're gonna need to rest, I _think_ you might need some _proper_ pillows. _Plus, I'm pretty sure she can hear you..._ "

She wasn't wrong – Iroha wasn't going to be taking _that_ long with the water, and by the time she was back, the agents glanced ahead together and saw the maid standing before them, her face shaded slightly in a blushy pink as she stood awkwardly.

Eventually, Iroha commented, "I... don't think Miss Blanctorche informed me on whether or not I _should_ go forward with orders like that."

Before Vanessa could speak up, Mary silenced her with a hand cupping over the redhead's mouth, retorting swiftly, " _Please don't encourage her._ "

Good idea – otherwise, it would probably draw some ire out of Elisabeth with all this uncouth behavior going on with her cohorts.

* * *

Speaking of 'uncouth behavior'...

"Winner's circle, bitches!"

Hanging out in the bar room moments after had to be helped out of it outside of her own drunken accord, the floor was now given to Angel for her own celebration. This celebration, 'of course', involved her recklessly handling a couple of cactus-juice beers * (somehow that was a choice), slamming them down on the bar for herself to enjoy alongside others.

Among the others included Nagase, who was treated to one of the unnecessary glasses, and was quickly sparked with surprise, and not quite in the most positive sort. She never really acknowledged many drinks that were such an odd shade of green.

Nagase voiced her opinion quickly, staring down the clear green in revulsion. "...You don't expect me to actually drink that, right?"

Angel was seated atop the bar, with quite the tempting posture. "If you wanna win – I don't keep myself in this sort of shape _just_ by pumping the weights, y'know!" She was playfully feeling herself up and down her chest and abs all the while – probably enjoying herself a _bit_ too much, especially in a public(-ish) place like this.

"I'm a human weapon," Nagase quickly objected. "Who needs to be super-fit if it's the gadgets, the blades and the specs that do the talking?"

"Spoken like someone who doesn't want any boys thinking about her."

"I wanna be thought of as a wicked little nightmare of a ninja – with how you look, they're probably doing a _lot_ more than thinking." Nagase recognized that there was a lot of contrast – between her own colorful get-up that's more for recognition than provocation, and Angel's cleavage-presenting leather jacket alongside her chaps-and-thong combo.

Angel chuckled, fully laying down flat atop the bar table with all the unsubtle sexiness of a gravure model. "Let 'em cum; to me, that's a great form of appreciation, n'ya know?"

"Now I don't know who's the freakest between us..." Nagase shoved aside the cactus beer in front of her face, and turned to her right. "So, how about you, 'Pretty in Purple'? How are _you_ gonna celebrate making it this far?"

The nicknamed subject in this case was Athena, the third of the few who were sitting around in the room. "Away from you. _Clearly_." She was seated about halfway across the bar, a way's away from anyone else, enjoying a bit of milk, and making sure the little towel tucked slightly into her skirt hid well the nether-exposing tear in her spats.

"Soooo _why_ bother being here? Where you risk bumping with scumbags like us?"

"'Cuz her friend's thirsty over here, too!" Filling the seat to the right of Athena, unsurprisingly at this point, was Malin – and she found plenty of reasons to try and start shit across the room with Nagase after their bout in the first round.

" _I mean, 'friend' is kind of a strong word to throw around..._ " thought Athena, saying nothing out loud but still briefly rolling her eyes on the surface of her expression. Mostly, she didn't want Malin starting shit, especially since she was dealing with other personal things on top of that.

Nagase was particularly baffled by her round-one frustration personified returning into her fray. "Okay, _you_ got literally burned into submission – how are you still kickin' it back like nothing awful happened to you?"

The honeybee nerd wasn't in the wrong putting an objection out like that – outside of the messy, fairly scorched attire, Malin seemed surprisingly fine by now, even though the fight was over and done with only a couple hours ago.

Malin's explanation – "You haven't had been taken care of by this tourney's staff like I was – it's some pretty good work. You probably wouldn't know that, cause you caught me on a bad point and got lucky."

Nagase darted her eyes back at the relaxed Angel, whispering what she knew. "I scanned all I could at the start of the fight – she was busy fingering herself like a minute before we started fighting."

"Was she thinking about me?" Angel whispered back, still hung up in curiosity about those who were doing 'more than thinking'.

"Shh!" Nagase shushed, before returning to her newfound rival with a retort. "Look, I'm not gonna get in _your_ face like you're in mine – I won, you lost, that's pretty much it. Even with 'disadvantages' or luck, you weren't getting anywhere past me."

Without warning, a knife was withdrew into Malin's hand as she stabbed it straight into the flat wood surface in front of her. "Nothin' stopping us from going at it again – even if that lady whips both our asses at the end of the night, I ain't going down twice!"

Athena knew letting the blonde thief come along for the post-match mingles was a bad idea – immediately, she had to start holding Malin back. "Okay, so much for hanging out here – let's just head back to our room..."

"Dammit Athena, just let this happen!" complained Malin as her Psycho Soldier friend got a grapple around her waist and started dragging her off her stool as they made for the exit. If only she held onto the knife she shoved into the table, she would've probably had something to cut herself free.

"I don't wanna have to babysit you, alright? I'm diffusing this before it even has a _chance_ to explode."

"For fuck's sake...!"

Nagase looked on, finding something kinda funny with the dynamic of the High School Girl team partners – sometimes she felt as though she had more of a well-arranged mind, though it was mostly thanks to Mephistopheles for basically rebuilding her.

"Hey, bee-babe."

"Hmm?" Nagase glanced back at Angel once again. At a future point, she would probably wish she didn't.

Angel spoke up, "Not gonna lie, I like seeing that idol chick leave, with those torn shorts. You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Nagase retorted, "I was thinkin' those girls are probably the worst 'best friends' I've seen. If you wanna try and rip Athena's shorts open and shove a fist up her hole, that's up to you – and all a variable based on how the next round's turning out."

"Oh, I would _totally_ spread those cheeks," Angel shamelessly proclaimed, completely lacking hesitation. "Her's and her friend's – bike shorts are second to thongs in bringing the best outta butts."

Angel eventually rolled off the bar table, landing delicately onto her feet and walking past the fellow agent. "Anyways, I think I'm gonna go sniff those stools, since that's the closest I might get to actually eating some ass. You wanna join?"

"That sounds like a ridiculous idea," Nagase answered, grinding a finger against the wood to write some drawn-out scribbles here and there. "...Might as well do it anyways, we're being watched regardless..."

* * *

"Fucking Kusanagi... and that piece of shit soldier..."

Once they both eventually reclaimed their composure after the explosive first-round finale that they _both_ wound up on the wrong end of, the secretaries of darkness were on their slow collective trudge through the halls, trying to find their way back to comfort. Whatever they'd consider comfort, at least.

Muttering out vulgar thoughts, Vice was on the tougher end of the deal, having to carry the injured ( _and still VERY out cold_ ) Mature the whole way through. This was _not_ a great time for either of them, especially for the violent redhead that was at least the winning half of the psychopathic duo.

"Welcome back, girls – glad you're feeling better..."

Beauty in pink awaited the vicious duet, as Shermie leaned besides the door leading into Mature and Vice's room, patiently sitting in wait.

By this point, the French babe was firmly solidified in the 'trio of terror' as the odd one out, being the friendliest, flirtiest and overall most positive one of the bunch. Of course, this was only as she was without influence of the Orochi – that was a whole 'nother beast, and hopefully not looked into very, very soon...

Vice greeted, clearly disgruntled. "Now's not the time to be so happy right now, honey. We've had enough shit to deal with for a day..."

Shermie giggled, approaching without caution. "Can't a babe greet her fellow babes, regardless of how torn up we get?"

Vice scoffed. "You lucked out on _your_ match – we had to go through hell and still only _one_ of us managed to win. Don't act like you went through the same crap as I did."

"I'm just having fun – you should too, even with a few cuts and bruises."

"And stab wounds?"

"You sound like you hate bringing it up."

"'Cause I do!" Right afterwards, Vice winced, the lingering pain coming from that wound again returning. The stress was getting to her again, clearly... "Rrgh... why should you care? In your last life, you had your throat ripped out..."

"And I'm looking fine now, don't you think?" retorted Shermie, twirling enthusiastically. "Hell, we're _all_ sexy bitches around here~"

The rebuttal of such a statement was a pained groan – not from either of the redheads, but of Mature waking from her impromptu siesta. "Uhn, dammit..."

Vice briefly shook the draped-around arm of Mature as she lightly nudged against her. "You okay, babe?"

Drowsy and muddled with discorded injuries, Mature complained... "All this banter makes my head feel like it's wrapped in barbed wire..."

Vice assured her, "Nah – that's just Shermie trying to be the cheer-up. And failing."

Shermie crossed her arms, keeping at bay the hidden discontent. "Don't act like I wasn't helping..."

"Except you actually _weren't_. C'mon... let's just fucking lay down somewhere for once..." Vice bumped a shoulder into the door to the room to push it open and enter, the duet making a less dignified exit into their quarters than last time.

Shermie's sassy smile only wiped away a slight bit as she found herself back to an unsatisfying lonesome. She was usually the peppiest one in the room with her fellow cohorts. Sometimes she wished things were much happier for the trio, that the night would end on a more optimistic note considering at least 2 of the 3 had made it past the first round in this dazzling tournament.

Instead, things were as blunt as a door swinging open against your back when you least expect it. Just like Shermie didn't expect the same on her end, as the neighboring door, to her own room, opened and nudged against her to catch her off-guard.

"Oof!" The French babe took the bumpy door quite well, giggling away the brief pain – doubly helpful considering who she was now sharing the room with. "Careful~"

" _Désolé_..." Ash half-muffled on the other end, having leaned his slightly restless body against the door to open it. "Are they gone?"

Shermie nodded. "Yeah."

""Ah, _dieu merci_..." brought his face away from the door, shaking away some of the grogginess he felt having to endure the bit of Hakkesshu in-fighting on the other side. "I think I share Mature' pain – for a whole _different_ reason."

"Don't get too wrapped up in it." Shermie twirled around to the other side of the door to meet up with her red-clad companion. "It's kinda their thing, being crazy devoted. 'Orochi's will' and all that."

"I can't imagine being aligned with people so wild. Hell, I can't even imagine being as wild as someone like _Yagami_." As far as he knew, Ash would be sacrificing a piece of his sanity for a new splash of paint for his flames (of which he didn't need Orochi in his past). After the business with his ancestor, he would not want anything dark inside him again.

"Well, if you're like Aoi, you'd spend a lot of time without having to deal with those... 'urges'." Shermie leaned her body deeper against Ash's, and from there, she cooed in intrigue. "Oooh... speaking of urges..."

In regards to what was poking against the front of Shermie's skirt, Ash's welcoming grin made it clear of how little indignity he felt. "Well, a guy like me, alone in that room thinking of someone like you... it's only natural.

Shermie giggled again. "Ash Crimson, you are so shameless."

"Well – that's one way to put it..." Ash wrapped an arm around the back of Shermie as they held each other closer... and closer...

" _Attention~!_ " But the moment was cut short by the resounding alert across the building – the authorital but alluring voice of the tournament's second-hand arranger Chizuru sounded off with the following announcement:

" _All participants in the building, will report to the foyer within ten minutes, for info regarding our next round. Please follow through in an orderly fashion, and thank you for your participation._ "

Shermie honestly almost forgot about the tournament for a little bit as she was lost in her effeminate fling's eyes. "Guess the night's not over yet..."

"Unfortunately." Ash realized fairly quickly it was gonna be a little while longer before he... _got down to business_ with his fellow French hotness, and he looked a little disappointed. Thankfully, the smile of his lover kept him above surface level with his thoughts.

"If you want, you can just stay here; I won't be long, hopefully," Shermie assured.

"I'll try not to make a mess," Ash joked.

"Maybe that'd make it better..." Shermie leaned in and gave Ash a little pecking kiss on the lips, feeling up his jaw as she backed away and left the scene.

After again appreciating the view of Shermie's curves upon her exit, Ash closed the door, and as it was shut, he leaned against it. His eyes lowered on himself at first, at his clear excitement bulging beneath his pants, and then up to the ceiling, almost prepared to thank God.

Love was in the air, and he was right there to breathe it in and appreciate it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * – The 'cactus beers' are sort of a nod to what is apparently a favorite food of Angel, which is 'raw cactus slices'.
> 
> Also the initial plan for this post-round stuff was to post this and the next chapter in a single go, as a double post; by the time I write this, the next chapter is actually mostly done and might either come out later in the day or within the next couple, so look forward to that. Speaking of...
> 
> Next Chapter: Heading into the second round, Elisabeth lays down the law with some changes to the rules...


	26. POST-ROUND: Not A Way To End A Night

"I'm hoping for the best with what comes next – maybe you should too, Elisabeth."

"Might as well – it can only ramp up from here, I suppose..."

Elisabeth and Chizuru stood at the side of the central staircase, conversing privately as the ladies of the tournament, regardless of having advanced or not, slowly piled in for the meeting, mostly in groups.

Athena and Malin were among the first few, followed shortly by Nagase and Angel. Lien cruised alone, as usual, to the foyer, while a quartet of 'Women's Fighters' in Mai, Yuri, King and a limping Alice came in together. Shermie bounced about with flair, while Vice was quite the opposite, dragging her own disgruntled, battered mess of a body to the meeting, with a staggering lack of Mature at the moment.

Overall, the cast that came before the ladies in charge wasn't any less colorful than it was in the first meeting – outside of the afformentioned Mature ( _due to her reasonable injuries_ ), it was essentially the whole participant list, with everyone advancing to the second round at attention.

Once the crowd of ladies faded to a respectful silence, Elisabeth began...

"Welcome again, everyone. Firstly, I'd like to congratulate the sixteen of you who have made it past our first round – some of you, I expected nothing less, but I am equally impressed with the few who surprised us all. Don't think it's the worst of your troubles, however – it's going to be no less of a climb than in tournaments you've been in before. The number of participants will continue to fall in halves and the strongest will be culled from what's left, that's just how it goes."

Chizuru followed up, "Elisabeth and I have discussed in private over the past hour our plans for the following round – now that we have a good idea of how everyone handles this private scene, this _isolation_ within a single building for the tournament, we can safely say it's not going to be the same as it was before."

Returning to Elisabeth. "Speaking of this isolation – the appointed 'combat zones' we started you with were a test to see the extent of one's skill confined within a single hallway, room, or otherwise. After further consideration following the bouts earlier today, there wasn't quite a difference from otherwise. For the second round onwards, we'll be toying with more lenient renditions of these zones, giving significantly more to potentially work with – after all, part of the fight is the ability to adapt to an environment that is not always the same."

Back to Chizuru. "Another aspect we'd like to touch on, the arrangement of the fights – we formed part of the initial brackets off of skill-sets, backgrounds and potential animosity. This won't be too different from then, but we've been recently welcome to requests for the coming battles."

"Yes," Elisabeth nodded. "For example... ?"

Seated just besides the 'Women's Fighters Team' quartet, Mignon's eyes sprung up at attention like the curious kitten she tended to act like sometimes.

Elisabeth said to the young witch, "We'd like to inform you: someone has personally requested to face you in the second round. We're not naming names – but it seems you _do_ have at least one willing challenger looking to test you..."

Mignon's eyes wandered elsewhere in brief thought, before evolving into an expression of personal hope as she melted slightly into her seat. Focus will return to her eventually, but there were still more important matters at the moment...

"Anyways, onto another matter," Elisabeth continued. "With how we incorporated the 'no interference' policy with these matches, it's thankful we have yet to actually see that rule fully broken. However, it wasn't without some leaning against it, especially from _some certain individuals_."

Again, she wasn't naming names – however, the hostess's eyes very clearly lingered towards the direction of where people like Vice and Leona were at, in that very moment.

"While we have had some characters here involve themselves in the combat zones in a spectator's sort of way, it wasn't exactly what we wanted with the bouts." Elisabeth then announced, "With some debate over it, it figured it was for the best that we act upon it further before anything drastic comes out of it – for the fights beyond, we must insist that whenever one comes up, anyone who isn't participating in the specific fight at that time shall not be allowed within the combat zone until the fight has concluded. No exceptions whatsoever." She then explained lastly, "These rule modifications are, for the most part, why this brief meeting was arranged. The second round will continue tomorrow afternoon, so you all have the rest of the evening and the morning after, up until your number comes up, to prepare for what comes next."

From there, Chizuru chimed in with the optimistic closing words, "With that being said, we wish you all a good night, and good luck." Respectfully bowing towards the competitors, the priestess followed Elisabeth up the stairs as they both exited from the scene.

The competing group on the other side took their time to disperse from the room, as a significant handful found some moments to chat amongst each other. It was a rarity throughout the tournament to have everyone here, might as well get a bit of chatting up with friends and relative strangers.

Unsurprisingly, Vice was not one of those people – she was tired, annoyed and all sorts of fucked up physically ( _on top of her being generally fucked up in the mental sense_ ).

"This accomplished nothing but wasted time," she sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'm back off to bed to tend these damn scars." Vice's exit wasn't graced with much acknowledgment – even only gave her a silent wave goodbye, though she was looking to relax elsewhere in a minute.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bunch, Athena stretched about briefly, also looked ready to bow out. "I think I'm gonna clock out for tonight – now that I know I don't have anything left to worry about. You coming, Malin?"

Not responding directly, the blonde rascal looked on at the Psycho Soldier's exit. Probably still a little iffy about the whole confrontation with Nagase some moments ago. "Ehh, gimme a second." Right after, before considering getting up, something crossed Malin's ears from a brief distance, the sound of a chair bouncing on its wooden legs with no subtlety in the noise.

It was the over-optimism, of course, of an excited Mignon, straddling around the back of her chair and staring right at Malin with the goofiest closed-mouth smile imaginable. "So... how are you feeling about Mignon's chances?"

Malin blinked. "About what?"

Mignon giggled. "You heard what they said, about a 'willing challenger' – about a _certain_ someone challenging yours truly?"

By this point, Malin started to recall what she saw between the witch and the Psycho Soldier... "Uhh, you're just trying to joke around, right? 'Cause if you think you're going to face your 'so-called rival', you might want to check first—"

" _Shhhhh don't ruin the dream_ ~" Mignon shushed with a finger to Malin's lips. "Do you know how long it's taken to get to this moment?"

"Not long enough?" suggested Malin, disgruntedly.

" _No_ – this is Mignon's chance to finally get off the ground with her magical charm and cunning! This was always what was meant to be! Oooo, can't wait to see the look on her face!" The cute witch's feet kicked around underneath the chair as her personal anticipation skyrocketed – under information that she barely learned about.

" _I wouldn't mind you looking..._ "

Mignon's posture on the chair immediately froze up – the voice she heard behind her back was not of Athena's, but of what was basically the worst-case scenario for her. She saw the gloved hands out of the corners of her eyes, handling her shoulders as if it would be there one moment and around her neck the next – she heard the silky-smooth voice that would lead any ordinary to an untimely death – and once it clicked, she didn't _need_ to turn around...

…to understand Lien Neville's presence looming over hers, with a smirk of anticipation upon her face – not simply for the prospect of facing the witch, but for potentially something further. "A fair warning: don't look too deep or you'll go blind – and not by your _own_ hands."

Mignon's own smile was gone, as was a bit of color on her body as she went a bit pale from fear. Even the light in the orbs on her wrist-guards and boots flickered out as though a fuse was blown.

"Good luck, Mignon." Leaning in, Lien gave a fitting and metaphorical 'kiss of death' atop Mignon's pink-maned head. " _You're going to need it._ " She drifted off as quietly as she emerged, no need to further fuck up that shrill girl's mind...

Malin looked on at all of this in silence, but even without any input, she was a little shook. It was only when was finally out of earshot that Malin started to comment. " _Shit._ Well, congrats, girl – how does it feel to have the worst luck imaginable?"

Mignon said nothing in return. She _had_ nothing in return, to properly sum up how she felt right then and there. Her dream was dead, and if things took a turn for the worst, she probably would be, too. The only piece of movement that remained for her was her body falling in a fainting spell, taking the chair down with her as she unconsciously flopped to the floor.

Malin gandered down at the poor witch's unconscious being for an awkwardly long moment before she started to get up from her seat, sneaking off and upstairs.

Off to the side in witness to the scene, a couple of the other second-rounders in Nagase ( _no sign to whether she and Angel actually sniffed those bar stools_ ) and Love Heart ( _with a noticeable absence of Nakoruru, likely still tending to healing wounds and/or nature_ ) took notice to the witch girl on the ground, paralyzed in fright.

"You think that kid's gonna be alright?" asked Love.

"Against Lien?" Nagase replied. "She's _fucked_."

* * *

The day could've been better for Aoi – with a hard-fought battle that thankfully wasn't any more than a respectful spar and that incident with the Hakkesshu, having to save Leona's butt, she put herself through a lot of ups and downs with her first day in this whole tournament gig.

After some minutes spent conversing a bit with the more friendly end of the competition, including former opponent Hotaru, the Kusanagi relative was ready to crash down already and wait for a new day.

…

By now, Aoi couldn't wait to pry off that tight suit and spray the sweat off her body with a hot shower – the zipper down the front was almost completely undone as she had the suit loosened, allowing a little bit more skin to get a feel of the cooler breeze of the coming night, as she made her way to the nearest bathroom from the foyer.

Unluckily for her, that bathroom happened to be occupied already – and she could hear the shower running. Shit.

With the sweatiness of her body beneath her clothing growing to bothersome enough levels, Aoi decided 'Fuck it', and knocked.

" _Who is it~_?"

The voice on the inside end was easily recognizable from the sultry bubbliness as Shermie – would've figured, this bathroom was conveniently right next where she had situated herself for the time here.

"It's Aoi," the biker girl answered. "I hope you don't mind me waiting out here, I'm gonna need that shower when you're done." There was no answer from the Orochi babe for a moment afterwards, and she had to standby for _something_ to occur.

Then the lock on the door turned, and it opened – a wet arm beckoned out from the opening. "Come right in – I won't mind," rung out Shermie, a finger curving in to subtly welcome her 'friend'.

The invitation rung out immediately as a risky move to Aoi – her face contorted into an expression of uncertainty and reluctance, even as she briefly heard the footsteps within the room re-enter the tub and pull the curtains mostly closed. It was just... an odd situation not just on the sake of having to share some minutes of naked cleansing alongside another, but to do so with someone so very far on the wrong side of the tracks despite their outgoing nature.

With each second that passed in her thoughts, Aoi's tracksuit clung on a few threads more as the sweat stuck around and began to dry in spots. She continued to pull and stretch the loose fabric with growing discontent.

"Ugh, the things I do to get stuff done..." Ultimately, she started to peel off the suit off from the top, showing off her body in its near-nudeness outside of the bra, right before scattering through the open door.

Door closed shut, clicked in to lock, Aoi had no reservation to back down from the offer now, and from then she pulled off the rest of her suit from the waist down, her gloves and boots, and her undergarments, setting it all down in a firm stack on the sink as opposed to the closed lid of the toilet in which Shermie's pink and purple attire sat

Aoi made sure to justify in the midst of her stripping,"You know, I'm only letting this happen because I'm not sleeping all moist and sticky,"

"Same," replied Shermie, from the other side of the curtains. "That's what happens when you wrestle around the competition like I do. Just means you got the job done. It's _all_ worth it, babe."

Aoi tried her damnedest not to blush in awkwardness as she prepared to step in. "Please... just, don't call me that, during _this_."

Her left leg lingered in first, trying not to get too hasty in her entry into the shower. The rest of her now-naked body followed, as she

"Gotcha~!" Shermie's arms immediately clung into a hug around the Kusanagi rebel's body, in the most shameless of ways.

"Ah~! Jesus fu—!" Aoi's heart leapt out of rhythm as she yelped. Instinctively, she started struggling in the grasp of the bombshell's clutches, even though it was only meant in good fun. She was quickly let go, thankfully, as Shermie loosened the lock and giggled

"Did I scare ya?"

"You kinda did," Aoi responded, feeling at her back where Shermie's bust pushed against it, presumably the work of the pair of hard nipples poking against her in the tight grip. Eventually, as she gradually turned around, she wound up giving herself a good look at the French beauty's body, going down from the thick thighs straight up to the tits that proved little competition in its size.

"You like what you see?" did a few supermodel poses, suggesting to the Kusanagi girl to admire all she had.

Aoi was super hesitant in her response, and the red blush across her face was out of control from there. "I, uh... wasn't expecting to see it when I first considered this. I can kinda see why you were so popular..."

"You're not so bad yourself," Shermie replied in kind, taking a surprisingly good gander, beneath the wet bangs, at Aoi's body in return – not quite as thick or curvy, but for sure made up in athletic tone and shape with the almost-prominent abs showing off.

"Anyways, you might wanna step aside a little bit," Aoi suggested, noticing how much of the water coming down was being blocked off by her shower partner's body. "We both gotta spray the sweat away..."

Shermie stepped aside with nothing but a smile, and the faucet came down on Aoi's body with a little bit more prominence as she took a couple steps forward...

...but as she went ahead, she was greeted further by the immoral girl's touch with a straight up slap across her ass.

"Fuckin'~!" Aoi grunted, immediately tending to the swatting slap's radius with a little bit of rubdown as she looked back at the giggly, regretless Shermie, who was on her way to the body wash sitting on the opposite side of the shower.

"It's like you're _trying_ to come on to me or something," Aoi said, by now growing kinda annoyed in general at Shermie's presence around her.

Shermie said back, "I'm open to whatever – guys and girls have wanted me for a while; us Hakkesshu girls don't really care for society all that much, but when it comes to people chasing my tail, I am _all_ for it."

Feeling about at the water pouring down on her, Aoi spoke up in response. "So what you're getting at is... ...you're just 'down to fuck', something like that?"

Shermie shrugged, spreading the gel in hand around her body. "Well... when you've been dead for a while, you tend to think about certain things... like 'Wow, getting your throat torn open hurts like hell!'" She felt about at her neck during this thought, perhaps for a little too long as she almost forgot what came next. "Oh, _and_ sometimes I think 'I wanna get a dick in me somehow'. Some sort of 'glad to be back' thing, y'know?"

"I can safely say we're thinking on two different wavelengths," said Aoi. "Then again, _I've_ never died."

"All I can say on that is, I would not recommend it," Shermie said. "Even on 'Gaia's will', it's a whole another fastball of hell being in the afterlife."

Aoi didn't have much to say on that, as she would rather not have any similar experience, bond be damned. Her glare eventually got low on the back-end of Shermie's body... "Please tell me you chose to get that put _there_."

"Hmm?" Shermie took a moment before she turned her head and realized what Aoi was referring to – the 'tramp stamp'-esque tattoo sitting right above where the lining of her butt began, representing a snake emblazoned with sparks of lightning. "Oh~... well... I actually didn't, but Orochi does have good in designing. Kinda wouldn't recommend feeling on it too much, it's a little sensitive."

"I wasn't going to," denied Aoi. "Knowing the type of shit you can do, it'd probably be the same outcome as bringing in a hairdryer."

Shermie chuckled, feeling up and down her own thighs. "Oh you~... you never suck at making me smile."

Aoi said, "I barely even try. Maybe you're just easily entertained... Oof~!"

She was suddenly pushed back afterwards, as Shermie backed into her ass-first. "'xcuse, gotta wash up~!"

Aoi wound up backed into the wall by the admittedly excellent derrière of Shermie, brought beneath the shower faucet and, in turn, out of the range of the spray. Yes, it was far from the most comfortable shower she's ever taken, and she rarely shared it with someone else to begin with, so there was clearly no competition in the circuit of uncomfortableness.

It was only going to get worse from there, as Aoi grimaced from a sensation prodding right against her as she leaned her rear against the wall. "Agh, I think I got something poking against my butt..."

"Probably the shampoo?" asked Shermie.

As Aoi wiggled around briefly to try and figure things out, she spoke up again. "A shampoo bottle that's... moist? ...and _warm_?" She leapt forward and away as soon as she felt something try to directly enter her butt, nearly toppling Shermie over in her reaction.

"What the fuck...?" Aoi felt up herself from her butthole and the crack up, and saw a bit of whiteness on her fingers as she looked at her hand... then she turned around and saw just what was trying to get into her...

...as a pulsating cock, in the midst of oozing sizable loads of cum over the edge of the tub, limped out at an incomplete erection from a hole through the wall that both ladies in the shower somehow didn't notice up to this point.

"Oh, what the _fuck_!?" Aoi was caught with disgust and surprise over what she was looking at – having expected this to be a ladies-only sort of situation, this was probably the _last_ thing she was expecting. Thankfully, the shower was still running with the hot water so she could quickly get the tidbits of cum off her hand and off her backside.

Shermie, however, couldn't help but laugh, looking as though she found nothing but a goofy situation in front of her. "Oh wow~!"

" _Ah merde..._ " The cock retracted from the glory hole that now cannot be ignored, admist the barely-audible voice on the other end of the wall. " _Sorry if I surprised you, Shermie – couldn't help but try and dive in..._ "

Shermie again giggled. "Afraid that wasn't _my_ ass you tried to get into, Ash..."

To Aoi, that name almost sounded familiar, but she felt as though she needed clarification. "Wait, 'Ash'? As in... that fruity French guy?"

Shermie nodded, walking past Aoi to meet with the low-riding hole in the shower wall. "Yes, I'm sure your cousin knows a thing or two about him with when they fought – not quite the best of friends, from what he's told me, and with Yagami, it's much worse. One of Elisabeth's regrettable friends, in short."

Shermie then began to bring a finger or two into the hole, trying to reach out for her lover's increasingly flaccid penis through it. "We just happened to be in the same place at the same time – and then as something started to kick in between our hearts, we _may_ have been starting to experiment a bit around here with..." She managed to bring Ash's sex back through the hole, but as he was softening up slightly, less of his length came through, sitting there like a limp noodle. "...Well, you probably get the idea."

It took about five seconds before Aoi promptly made her way back through the curtains – and Shermie immediately clamped her hands around one of Kusanagi's wrists to halt her departure. "Whoa, where are _you_ going?"

Aoi reached for a towel to try and dry herself off. "I think I've had enough crazy shit for today. I'm drying myself off and jumping into bed as soon as I can."

Shermie tried to reason optimistically with the other. "We can still make this group shower work, penis or no penis~"

Aoi glared back, the frustration in her eyes clear. "Just get the fuck off me, alright?"

With reluctance, Shermie eventually unhanded the brunette, looking a little disappointed. "Aww... You don't know what you're missing, Kusanagi."

"I don't _want_ to know." Wrapped in the towel and with clothes in her arms, Aoi shut the door with a rough and resounding thud.

The sound was nothing but the shower faucet spraying down onto Shermie's naked body, as she looked as though she didn't know what to do now. Things got _way_ too forward, rather quickly, for sure.

" _So, um..._ " Ash was heard clearing his throat on the other side, his cock's saddened twitch oddly matching with the pattern of the cough. " _...is now a bad time?_ "

Shermie hummed in thought. "Yeah... probably..."

One would definitely admit it was too awkward of a moment to dig deep into the 'sexperimentation' tunnel just yet. Elsewhere, however...

* * *

Elisabeth's hand laid consistently over her forehead and eyes in utter repulse for the past few minutes. Back in her main office, the camera to that specific shower brought her more things she'd rather not witness – it wasn't exactly her idea to incorporate them, as the family 'needed' to be extra secure in days far gone, and now it was just worse on her sanity

"Kagura, please... just... turn the cameras off for now."

In one press of the button, Chizuru had the screens in the back of the room turn off into blank blackness. Having glanced maybe one too many times at the situation going on over there, she had an idea or two of how Betty must've been feeling. "Too much on the mind right now?"

Elisabeth looked tired by this point – not necessary felt it, as she could go entire days without the feeling, but she just _looked_ as such, especially right now. "You don't know the half of it."

She was glad the night was winding down – after such an eventful first day of the tournament, the only thing that wasn't for sure was how the next day was going to turn out, inside _or_ outside of the combat to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: The morning of the tournament's second day comes, and even before the second round commence, there's surprises to witness!


	27. PRE-ROUND 2: Not A Way To Start A Day

The night sealing off the first day of the tournament went off with no prominent moments having gone down – almost everyone in the building focused on catching Z's as their main priority, and many just wanted to sign off the night before things escalated for them like they did for others.

From the start of the morning, things started to pick back up even before the second round officially began...

* * *

...And of course, in a tournament full of hot commodities ( _in more ways than one_ ), these things tend to start with a hot shower, which was where the sky captain away from home, Love Heart, began her morning.

The 'Airstream' adversary didn't have that much of an eventful first-round showing, but she was more than willing to refresh herself physically, knowing there was, for certain, a stronger opponent waiting in the wings heading into the second round of this intriguing tournament. With her partner Nakoruru out of the running, Love remained a unique competitor and an even more interesting potential winner if she reached the top of that mountain.

As for now, she had time to herself.

Hands against the faucet-fastened wall, water spraying down onto her purple hair and dripping down her naked form, Love was at the peak of relaxation right now. There was something about it, the synergy of the water washing down over her, catching up to each and every section of her body, from the obvious curves and bends of her limbs, to those... _very_ sensitive openings down lower on her.

The sky captain was withstanding quite well the urges to... have a bit of 'self-loving', wordplay unintended – her hands kept to her upper-body rubbing down the wetness of the splashing water over her naked body. In the prelude to the return of insanity within the tournament, it was great to have time to herself.

All of a sudden, though...

"Hey there, Love~!"

"Aah!" Love was sprung out of her focus, and almost face-first against a wall, before turning her head towards who was behind her...

…and was met with her former first-round opponent in B. Jenet. With a mischievous smile glinting in the light blazing beyond the openings of the freshly open-then-closed curtains, the similarly nude blonde had her eyes firmly locked onto Love's.

Almost immediately, Love took into consideration the locked door. Or what was _supposed_ to be locked. She quickly interrogated the opposing pirate babe, "H-how did you get in here?"

"Darling, don't you mind that," Jenet said reassuringly. "I just wanted to catch up – take a minute to congratulate you for getting the better of me."

"And you chose to do that _now_? Risking invasion of privacy?"

"Well, after a night of beer-binging to cool off," Jenet justified, while her brief attempt to approach backed off by a pressing foot of Love pressing against her gut. "Got so drunk I started thinking about _you_ , of all things."

"Just explain yourself or you might get _more_ than your clothing cut this time." Love was about ready to grab her golden sword from the other side of the curtains and _go ham_.

"Just give me this once, Love – we're both sexy bitches, aren't we?"

Love Heart came to notice that Jenet's hands, as she was speaking, countered against the defending leg with some smooth rubbing upwards.

Uncomfortability levels began their rise from here, as Love blushed. "I think I need clarity."

Jenet had a laugh about it. "It's like you don't know how I roll – here, lemme help ya..."

Jenet lunged in suddenly, and the two pirates wound up pinned against the wall, lips colliding in a single, one-sided moment that saw Love Heart almost immediately break free from the lip-lock.

"Mmngh, what the hell!?" Love shouted, visibly rattled in all sorts of ways.

Jenet fondled Love's jaw briefly. "Oh shut up, babe; you're gonna love it..." She then lowered herself against the sky-familiar's ripe body, her face smooshing against the other's breasts.

Love put up her best efforts in her defense, trying to latch onto the rough blonde's body to halt all of this. Unfortunately for the usually pink-clad sky pirate, the soaked nature of everything left the grasps to simple brief attempts that Jenet slipped out of with absolute ease as she nuzzled herself against her fellow pirate's stomach, her nose prodding the navel.

Love's next reaching attempt was towards the opening of the curtains for her sword, as the thoughts of beating some proper sense into the 'pirate queen' turned more into something she wanted to make a reality.

 _Just far too out of reach, however._ Her hand only managed to poke out to the other side at wrist's length, with the gold sword sitting right alongside the sink where she set her clothing, just on the further-off side of the toilet.

By this point, Jenet had lowered herself deep enough to find those tasteful hills.

"Aah~!"

Love's whole body contracted in a full ripple across once she felt a tongue fiddle against her crotch. Her hands grappled firmly against the sides of the shower wall she had pressed herself against, and her moans rendered beautifully upon everyone's ears, but of _unwanted_ pleasure.

Jenet's head wriggled deeper against her barely-willing sex partner's mounds, to the point that her nose got a good whiff of the fruity smell of shaved pussy – eventually, her tongue found the parting slit of Love's groin and made its way through to get a good taste of the inside walls.

Love was sincerely hoping the moment would come and go as quickly as possible – but once she felt herself being licked into submission, she could feel time pass by much slower than she'd really want it to, and it was becoming impatiently tough to endure.

Even more so once she felt something fondle against a lower end of her regions. There was no mistaking _that_ sensation – in the midst of the cunnilingus, Love found herself simultaneously being giving a bit of anal inspection with one of Jenet's thumbs firmly going up her butt with gusto. The feeling of a roughly-curved nail burrowing further into her other hole was a cherry on top of the _deeply_ unnecessary dessert that she became.

Within seconds past that moment, a breaking point was definitively achieved.

With a melody of sensual screams, Love's body once again felt a full rippling sensation, much more violent and ( _wordplay be damned_ ) climactic as her orgasm ruptured outwards in the most physical way possible.

_**Splat!** _

"Ohh! Fuckin' hell!" Jenet whipped herself backwards from between Love's legs in a puzzled reaction, as she felt herself taking a splash of something on the face. Clearly, it wasn't the shower as the faucet was pushed a little bit upwards, allowing the water to flow past where she kneeled. Her second and significantly more vulgar though, given Love's unwillingness about this whole session, was that she straight up pissed in her eyes in a matter of self-defense by any means necessary.

Thankfully for her, that _also_ wasn't the case; she looked up at in the moment after, watching as Love convulsed downwards in her enforced orgasm, spurting like a broken hose onto the floor of the tub.

As two and two came together and kicked in within her head, the depraved B. Jenet erupted into an impressed giggle. "Ohhh-hohoho, Lady Love, I didn't take you as a squirter~"

Love stared into the ceiling with a look of catatonic surprise across her face. After a crawling period of silence beneath her gasps for air, she eventually spoke up. "...That was completely uncalled for..."

Jenet put a finger across her own chin in brief though. "Yeah, maybe you're right... but it kept you distracted, didn't it?"

"Huh? What do you mean—"

"I'll let 'cha see for yourself – bye-bye, luvs'!" Almost as quickly as she entered, Jenet scampered off in an almost-hurried manner, still nude and wet as she left the still-running shower back to Love's lonesome.

It took the sky captain long enough to consider looking past the curtains for answers. Once she parted them open, she realized something different about the scenery of the bathroom. Namely:

The lack of clothes on the sink.

The similar absence of her sword.

The door that was freshly closed shut.

And the piece of paper taped onto that door that read ' **Now we're even, ya wannabe stripper!** '

Love Heart was ready to beat an English bitch into submission... once she found a towel to cover herself with, of course.

* * *

When she was last conscious, she was rightfully crippled with fear over the future of her participation in that wild tournament.

When she finally drifted back, having unintentionally spent a couple extra hours worth of sleep since that moment, Mignon woke up feeling completely refreshed. She felt as though her worries made a crawl back into the intentionally-neglected crevice of her mind, and she opened her eyes to see the bunk above her. All in all, she felt like a princess in relief, out of the hands of those who wanted to harm her.

Although... she did recognize that something just felt off around her surroundings. As though the pillow she was laying her head onto wasn't a pillow... and that whatever it was, if seemed to be brushing slowly through her hair. Not like a creepy spider, more like... a hand...?

She looked to her right, past the bunk above and was met with pink eyes looking down, the only semblance of vibrant color on the pale girl it belonged to.

"Hmm. You're finally awake," said the girl. "We have much to discuss."

Mignon's first response was to fling her head forward and headbutt the girl in black across the nose – and then she gouged on her with a hand clawing out at her face, hissing aggressively. "No! Nonononono _no_!"

Mignon shoved the intruding force back, letting free that girl's annoyed scowl, and she grabbed for the closest object near her, which was a little flower pot at the window, and threw it. It soared briefly through the air, but failed to miss the black-clad girl as she teleported away, and the plant smashed onto the bed on the other side.

"Oww!" Feeling the pot crash right upside her head, Athena sprung up from that bed, hair slightly messy as she rubbed where she was smashed – it took her a few seconds to find her sights meeting Mignon's, and they were both left confused.

Athena's voice implied how sick of this stuff with the witch she was getting. "Mignon – what are you doing in Malin's bed?"

Mignon blinked a few times too many. "...What?" She had a feeling the bedroom she was in seemed quite _off_ from what she had; she even recognized another pair of legs grazing alongside her when she woke up, and she barely paid mind to it compared to other things. On the other side of the bed she was sitting on, she saw Malin lift herself up, kind of bothered from the get go, and the blonde reacted as you'd expect.

"That's it. I'm getting the claw."

To say that 'Mignon escaped quickly' was saying too little. Scared by the prospect of getting clawed _viciously_ by Malin, Mignon scampered in a massive panic off the bed, nearly face-planting herself against the floor, before hopping up on the window, and jumping out of it as kitten-like as she could – except for her not even bothering to open that window, she managed to jump _through_ it and smash it into shards as she jumped out, and her landing was about as graceless as you'd expect from the resulting mess; she stumbled and plopped herself against the grass after an imbalanced connection. Thankfully for her, she received no significant cuts from the glass breaking around, but she did come out of it with a headache and a rattled jaw.

Not quite a good way to wake up – _not at all_.

" _Splendid, sister_ – you've been away for two minutes and you've already made a fool of yourself..."

The girl in black didn't go away fully, as she walked up to Mignon, looking even more disappointed than before.

The pinkette glanced up, feeling defeated after that little crash-and-burn. "...What do you want from me, Ninon?"

The black-clad girl, now recognized as Ninon, responded. "The moment you stepped out into the fray on your own, was the moment where you should've realized you needed help."

Mignon struggled to blink. "...Wha...?"

Ninon turned her head away. "Hmph. I'll explain later. You deal with your own wounds – physical _and_ mental." She again faded out of the scene, leaving her sister on the grasp of something she didn't understand.

Now it was back to Mignon by herself, in the grass and glass around her, and the thought of her upcoming match again set itself in alongside worse feelings.

It was down to her, and a lone butterfly that hovered down to the grass nearby, with a bright enough blue to catch her sight. "At least Mignon has this..."

She wanted to have those good vibes, especially heading into something that would prove the absolute opposite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Because I tend to want to avoid overloading chapters with too much in one post, there's going to be a bit more morning antics – but we also find out the very first match of the second round, so there's something more to look forward to than just more potential for gratuitous fluff.


	28. PRE-ROUND 2: Tension and Relief

Some people start their day getting a potted plant thrown at their head, while others wake up scared shitless by their creepy sister and escape harm ( _with a hard stumble_ ) out a window. In the slim middle, some tend to get utterly ravaged in the shower and lose their clothes in the process.

Most would want none of the above to start their day, and prefer to just spend time hitting the bag.

It was most akin to the latter for Yuri; first thing in the morning, she put on her get-up for the battle to come and jumped the gun on an early workout in one of the few suitable workout rooms around the premises, getting her fists, legs and any other capable limbs prepared to give out offense.

The bag barely held itself together against the blunt strikes thanks to its rusty chain – it showed age, but still suited well for Yuri's pull-less strikes.

Thrust kick, straight right...

Middle kicks, curving jabs...

One-two punch, 'Hundred Handslaps'...

A couple combos later, she stopped for a time, though, as she spent a moment to charge herself up with some brisk squats of optimism, sharply taking in and breathing out some air on each up-and-down.

Left no choice but to see over her friends after losing her chance in the running, King stood by as the sole spectator to her often-partner's training session; she saw a little bit too much going the karate girl's way when it came to the overwhelming energy. "Might wanna slow down a little there, Yuri – you might pull something before you come out the gate."

Tiny slivers of sweat dripped out of hiding from beneath Yuri's headband as she stared straight ahead.

"I think I'm really feeling it today!"

With a running leap, she put in one more big blow for the punching bag to tank – and knowing her, she preferred her 'rear bumper' in times like this.

Providing a better impact on this target than the rippling shockwave of her last attempt, Yuri's ass brought upon the punching bag its toughest move to tank, with a more significant pushback; it did enough to slightly crack the chain off from its hinges, but it hadn't given up its strength to the competition's recent collective efforts.

It was downright shocking that the force didn't have Yuri bouncing right in the other direction; rather, she landed right on her combative butt, narrowing avoiding the punching bag as it swung back around over her...

...and landed in the catching hands of King in the back-end of its pendulous swing.

"All this time throwing your ass at the world, not _once_ that you've broken your tailbone..."

Yuri took a hand of the bartender to help herself up. "They call me the 'Wild Swallow' for a reason, King."

King unhanded the punching bag and it continued swinging about at a narrower range. "Don't think that nickname really connects to a 'strong tail' – no lie, you've got one of the better-honed styles of the bunch, but—"

 _ **Clank!**_ The sound of something breaking apart bounced out from the background, and an unhinged punching bag flew right in between the two fighting babes – with the force and speed it swooshed past, it smacked into the other bag in between King and Yuri, and broke it off its own hinges, as a duo of bags smashed into the wall off east and exploded into a mess of leather and stuffing.

As she and Yuri brushed away the lingering dust from the smashed-together bags, King stared off into the west towards the origin of the increasing destruction.

"...But these other girls are _something else_."

Who better to strike such surprise in long-time competitors than the misleadingly-strong Angel, who was flaunting off her sweaty body in some satisfactory stretches before she spotted the duo and approached them in a charismatic strut.

"So, what'cha think, girls?" Angel threw her arms over and behind her back, flexing off her enhanced body to her peers. "You up to handle a bit of this in the next round?"

King's face curved into a frustrated expression muted by a palm covering it. "My god – each and every time you come around, you're annoying from the very first word." There was no shit to take from Angel in regards to her having taken down a former partner of the bar owner in the first round.

Angel purred negatively. "You just sound like you're trying all you can to be so bitchy around me."

"Look who's talking," sighed Yuri.

Angel gave no fucks. "As if I'm listening to anyone _but_ myself. Just keep that ass under wraps for me to tear it apart – something you oughta remember after yesterday."

From there, Angel didn't regard consent in her next action, as she wound an open hand up and didn't just simply slap Yuri on the butt – she grabbed a full handful of the karate-girl's legging-enveloped left cheek and _squeezed_ in the brief moment it sat there.

Yuri's face was overwhelmed in shock and disgust as she slapped the hand away. "What!?"

"Later, _puta!_ " With a middle-finger salute back to her future opponent, Angel strutted out of the makeshift gym-room in style.

Silence dropped onto the 'Women Fighters' as they both realized the implication the reckless grappler gave, regarding _that_ repressed butt-based moment from the other day, and they both kept their thoughts too close together.

The silence broke once Yuri turned her attention back to her friend, looking a little suspicious of blabbers going about. "King... you didn't tell anybody about what happened yesterday, did you?"

King responded. "Yuri, you'd know me enough to understand I'm pretty damn good at holding private matters inside."

" _I guess I'm not._ " Yuri and King turned towards one of the doors leading in...

Alice stood at a now-open door, still dealing with her crutches and coping with her not-very-healed injury, on top of having to admit to her being the guilty party in this matter. "Sorry."

King understood the naivety of the fangirl rookie, but it didn't stop her from being disappointed. "Alice, for fuck's sake..."

After an almost-eternity of overheating guilt on her mind and over her embarrassed blushing face, Alice stumbled over her chosen words as if she stumbled down stairs. "I-It wasn't like I wanted to tell people! That Angel chick threatened to break my other ankle if she didn't get some 'dirt to throw'! What was I supposed to do, let her _do it?!_ "

Yuri felt prepared to say 'yes' to that regard, but King halted her, hand over mouth, before the first syllable came out.

She said, "Yuri... remember she's still kind of a newbie."

Alice came close to losing balance on her crutch and faceplanting with how unnerved she felt at the moment. For a 'newbie', that would be an unsurprising feat.

* * *

Unexpected 'intruder' aside, Athena went through the morning with some important things on her mind – primarily, the consideration that she really could've fiddled with the idea of bringing an extra outfit with her to the tournament, as her main outfit, used during the first round, was the only proper one she had on hand.

Outside of that, the Psycho Soldier wasn't going to go into the next fight in her sleepwear, with her plain shirt and obvious lack of pants. It wasn't left completely unconsidered, as she could've kept a towel or something of the sort wrapped around, but she would look just plain ridiculous – and that thought came from someone who had some fairly outlandish idol outfits in the past, even heading into combat.

Sitting on the far right end of the foyer's central staircase, Athena's eyes locked down onto her phone as she bounced between her list of recent contacts, her email and a couple social media sites in a little bit of catch-up during her downtime. Her knees shook up against her arms leaning atop them, a very telling sign to her patience standing on slightly unsteady ground due to the whole 'clothing' issue.

"Miss Asamiya?"

"Hmm?" Athena glanced up to meet the graces of Chizuru, who noticed the Psycho Soldier before she fully passed by.

"You seem a little distressed – are you having a rough morning?" asked Chizuru.

Athena shrugged. "Depends on how 'rough' you consider someone randomly sneaking into and sleeping in your bedroom. That and my mind still can't get away from that...'wardrobe malfunction'."

"I see." Chizuru briefly surveyed Athena's bedroom-wear from where she stood. "I'll admit, seeing you as you are strikes me as _off_ – you have so many attires at your disposal, and you didn't consider an extra pair?"

"Well, I don't often have as much free time as I do right now for this stuff – basically, in my head was 'pick something and hope for the best'. Since you and Elisabeth have all the cameras around, I'm sure you've seen what came next."

"Oh, trust me – we've seen far past 'too much' yesterday," said Chizuru. "At the least, you could've called out to a friend to make sure you wouldn't deal with that problem for long..."

Athena nodded. "That's what I did, last night. Heading from Japan to France isn't easy, though, so I'm just playing the waiting game."

Athena was in sort of a low point, attire struggles keeping her beneath her usual optimism for the upcoming battles to be.

With how cute and wordlessly pleading Athena looked at the moment, it was close to impossible for Chizuru to go on her day without giving the fighting idol less than a bit of aid. "Well... Elisabeth and I are enjoying the morning with a bit of tea before the fights continue – if you wouldn't mind...?"

"I wouldn't," Athena responded. "Though I would like something to help me feel less naked – the shorts were all I had, and..."

Chizuru laid a calm quieting finger close to Athena's face. "Don't worry about it." She put her hands within Athena's and stood up with her. "We should probably get going – it's close to noon, and the second round's just about to begin.

Athena's eyes sparked with surprise. "Wait – _about_ to begin...?!"

"We'll make sure you have as much time as you need before your time comes up in the round." Chizuru held the idol near and dear in her assurance. It was with these consults and heart-to-heart moments that it was true the tournament was in reliable hands, worries mostly begone...

* * *

"Miss Blanctorche, if you don't mind – we'll be joined by a guest for a few moments."

"What's the occasion here?" As Elisabeth turned her attention to her cohort and the fighting idol alongside, it looked clear that the scenery involved here seemed easy to settle in.

In a partially-outdoors balcony setting similar to the 'combat zone' that housed the Mai/Nakoruru fight ( _minus the smashed bits_ ), a few chairs – a quantity greater than the amount of people involved – sat around a table laid with the aforementioned tea and the sunlight graced the scene with beautiful lighting partially thanks to the outlining of the flower-patterned ceiling fencing above.

Chizuru explained the involvement of Athena in this momentary join-up. "Just one of the competitors dealing with some brief issues for the morning – she'll benefit with a bit of comfort."

"Please don't mind me being like this right now," assured Athena, as she sat down right next to Chizuru. "I'm just waiting for a friend."

"Don't worry yourself, Asamiya." Elisabeth sat on the side of the table opposite to the two others. "Just try not to get in the way – we've already appointed the zone for the first fight, and it looks like it may begin any minute now..."

Athena's eyebrows peaked. "Really? Where?"

Chizuru pointed accurately towards something in the midst of the green grass ahead. "You see that structure far out there? The pavilion?"

That structure was primarily a roof, a floor and railings alongside pillars – from where that balcony setting was sat, it was a difficult sight, mostly for Athena, who leaned and squinted to focus.

She admitted, "That... really seems like an inconvenient spot to watch from over here"

"There's a TV screen just over here, you know," Elisabeth pointed out, to the screen in the corner of the balcony. "We're _more_ than prepared for spectating."

"Oh. So there is." Considering she failed to recognize it up to that point, Athena started considering getting her eyes checked for a brief minute.

Those thoughts barely mattered in the long-run – what will soon matter was the second round, and if one would focus closer on the pavilion that carried quite the Asia-inspired architecture, someone was already in the middle of it, more than ready for the new round of battles.

* * *

A thing of beauty was drifting about within this pavilion – a one-woman show, as it could be described, Mai Shiranui fulfilled her patience towards the incoming opening of the tournament's second round with the most graceful of katas imaginable.

Twin fans in hands, and a lot of leeway for the cloth on her well-repaired attire to drift around in the breeze, Mai set forth an interpretive dance expressing her preparations for the battle to come. The only thing truly missing from the scene would be a beautiful light rain of pink sakura petals drifting down around her in the hot wind – seemed like an idea for Mai that would require the presence of fellow second-rounder Moe Habana, but she was due for a different bout later on.

For right now there was another, potentially more dangerous, opponent waiting further up the path from the zone, approaching the pavilion in zero hurry.

It didn't take long for Mai to recognize the approaching her from behind – her movements settled down into a simple stance as she looked back with a welcoming grin. "So... what brings you here?"

"Is it not clear?" Tightening one of her gloves, Leona was ready to start this round the same way she finished the last.

"Oh, it's _very_ clear," Mai chuckled. She just simply liked to stir the pot with her opposition; part of the kunoichi's teasing tactics, as they'd say. "I hope you don't mind me being in the way of your 'mission'."

Leona responded, "This place deserves some cleansing – just so happens you'll be collateral damage."

It was crawling to crystal-clearness how little Leona may budge to any rebuttal possible out of Mai – the Ikari Warrior took her fighting stance, no need to say anything more before the fight.

"No surprise how much you really wanna finish the job. Very well..." Mai arched her back and took her position. "Let's have this dance..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: We start off the second round on a marquee match – Leona vs. Mai! Two ladies with a strong streak behind them, but only one will stand tall!


	29. Round 2: Leona Heidern vs. Mai Shiranui

**SECOND ROUND – MATCH #1  
Leona Heidern vs. Mai Shiranui**

* * *

**_FIGHT!_ **

The battle went away rather quickly as Mai lunged in with a low sprint, the remnants of dust blasting backwards from beneath her feet as she dove straight in for the attack. In the last second, Leona denied any sort of a 'first attack' by dashing off in the right, and distance was regained as Mai wound up standing right where initially started.

Mai tried again; another mad dash forward that this time wound up with her and Leona trading positions – as Mai went deep and low on her run, Leona did a wide cartwheel past. Not a hair out of place on the blue-haired soldier's head as her hands held out sternly in their palm-first position.

Mai smirked back with cleverness towards Leona's superbly stoic composure – clearly seeing a hard read within the Ikari Warrior's reflexes.

" _Kachou-Sen!_ "

With a spinaround, Mai chucked a fan ahead, and it immediately landed between the fingers of Leona – just as she simultaneously tanked the tackle into the midsection from the seductive ninja, barely taking a couple small steps in order to readjust and balance herself. Leona's face showed little struggle as she held Mai down under her left arm while still holding onto the stray fan with the other hand. A few seconds later, she discarded the fan, flinging it over the fencing of the pavilion as she went full force on Mai's left arm as the targeted limb.

Perhaps a bit too much focus, as Mai swooped a leg up and overhead against her opponent, plopping a foot over and against Leona's face with minimal effect. Leona reeled back somewhat, wincing slightly though still holding tightly onto the succulent body of the kunoichi...

...and then was flung forward by a bit of blunt force right on the back of her head! The stray fan came back!?

Taking up the advantage given by the homing butterfly fan, Mai again reeled her lower body up and over, this time with both legs flexibly hoping over and around Leona's legs as Mai enacted a headscissors takedown. Leona went flipping forward into the ground, but she took the impact and sprung back up to see athletically bouncing around until they again locked eyes, sharing similar kneeling positions across the makeshift battlefield.

"I thought a soldier was supposed to have eyes on the back of their head?" taunted Mai.

"That fan was all a part of your strategy, was it?" Leona responded.

Mai retorted back, "Or maybe you're just unlucky." She then ran at her opponent again, going for some no-bullshit attacks as she first swung in with a leaping roundhouse. Leona ducked, and swiped with a slashing palm, but Mai narrowly evaded the strike, jumping in afterwards with a knee smashing against her soldier opponent's chest before springing away. Her rebounding leap away met its end destination against the inside edge of the roof, and she landed precisely in the cervice, perched like a bird.

" _Musasabi no Mai!_ " Mai made a beeline straight down, fan in mouth as she attempted a swift collusion with her opponent.

Leona leapt back just enough to force Mai to make a rolling landing some inches before her opponent, but the kunoichi adjusted in the milliseconds of thought she was allowed, and extended a leg in a low sweeping kick that clipped Leona in the left ankle and tested her balance further.

Taking up on the opportunity against the groggy opponent, Mai jumped up with another flip, catching her toes on Leona's chin with the indirect kick. A couple more almost inhuman vertical spirals around later, Mai grabbed the fan off her mouth and tossed it...

...but Leona _again_ caught it, just inches from hitting her in the face! Though she was still pained from the kick, her mind still recognized the projectile as clear as the sunny day around them, and she slowly recovered from her position just as Mai ran back into close range with another wide kick. She blocked the thick leg winding in, and caught it over her shoulder, before spinning around and thrusting an elbow right in the side of Mai's face. Spittle alongside light bits of blood rendered out of the strike, flying right out of Mai's mouth as her whole upper-body had a rough time staying put with her imbalanced position.

Grabbing onto Mai's caught leg under both arms, Leona flung the kunoichi over with a strong toss that sent Mai dangerously close to a rough landing against the isolating fence of the pavilion. The blue-haired combatant continued to hold onto the leg of Mai, especially the ankle, as she lifted the kunoichi up slightly and grabbed a handful of the leg in a locking grapple.

Working the leg meant a test to her opponent's mobility in the future of the fight, and Mai's speed was at some sizable risk. In exchange, Mai was fully motivated to endure for just long enough as she looked forward to her next plan of attack. Part of her initial motivations _did_ rely on fun and mind-games, but she was dealing with a stone-cold soldier, not to mention at a point much earlier than she would've expected in a tournament like this.

...

Before long, Mai turned the tide with a rollover, and overpowered the wear-down hold with the front roll as she sent Leona tumbling over onto the fence. The soldier found herself right on the other side of the barricade of the pavilion, gripping on tightly to top of it as she wobbled around for a moment – she managed to lift herself back over...

...and was met with a full-force boot in the face courtesy of Shiranui – Leona found herself in a couple impromptu flips, a total ragdoll spiral across the zone's interior, landing on the hard ground much rougher than the last instance and with a small shockwave of dust poofing out from beneath her splat.

It took much longer for Leona to recover from the landing, a bit too far out of focus – thanks to the impact of the kick – to pull out another quick recovery.

Mai gandered on at her opponent from the other end of the scene, looking as though she was getting too much of an advantage too quickly out of the bout with the soldier.

"You're not too far out of your element, are you?" she questioned. "You're usually a harder cat to catch in a fight like this..."

Leona didn't say anything in retort yet, only grunting in frustration ( _and also a little bit of pain_ ), even briefly punching the ground; considering she had the least amount of time between her first and second round bouts, she was probably the least fresh regardless of how far spaced out the phases of the tournament were.

Also, despite narrowing down the threat of evil from 3 to 2 after the last round...

_Thump-thump... thump-thump..._

It still haunted her, even with this evil far and away from the scene.

Leona clutched her right arm, trying to seal off the heartbeat too loud in her head as she climbed back to her feet. "Ngh... you shouldn't be worried about me..." she said.

"You're probably right," Mai responded, shrugging casually. In her next swift act, her hands came together in another ninpo hand-sign, "Right now, _you_ should be worried about _me._ "

The flames came flowing in with ease around the body of the red-clad kunoichi, and her clothes flowed perfectly in the wind helping the orange-red aura hover around.

" _Hissatsu~!_ " Mai flung herself in with a burning cartwheel, and a piercing elbow out furthest.

Looking ahead at the burning beauty, Leona brought her arms outwards to clash against the maneuver – the elbow was bravely blocked despite the blistering heat that tumbled atop the already hot noon, and she grabbed onto Mai's striking arm as a means to stop momentum.

Mai quickly broke away, however, and twirled about. " _Ryuu Enbu!_ " Just like in her efforts in her previous bout, her tails again erupted with the spirit-bound flame, whipping out for head-on contact.

Leona's defense didn't whittle even a slight bit as she ducked under it and pulled out a swift 180 spin into a kick, pressing her boot right into Mai's back as she struck him out of close quarters. As Mai stumbled off, Leona continued to revolve about as she brought her arms together and split them out into an X that slashed out into a cross-projectile.

Mai saw the projectile come out quick enough to try and counter against it; straight from the comfort of her cleavage, she flung another of her countless fans at it to cancel it out, and it was to well enough success to force Leona's slash into dissipation – at the sacrifice of the paper fan that split off into four pieces upon impact.

Mai continued to bring about the ranged offense with her fans, as she brandished two more in her hands – which turned out to be two _sets_ as she threw them and a whirlwind of _ten_ fans spiraled out.

Leona was forced into a period of target practice as she pursued the sexy ninja, slashing through each and every individual fan coming her way with swiping strikes. Her eyes didn't lay away from her opponent throughout up to the point where she charged out with a double-handed slash.

Mai limboed under at the last second, just narrowly evading the sharp energy flying out of Leona's hands. Her thighs in turn caught around Leona's midsection before completing the flip and slamming the soldier _right atop her head_ on the wooden floor!

Mai's charismatic maneuverability flourished for much longer than strategically necessary, as she flipped about in cartwheels and front-flips before one last backflip into a dismount on the other end of the architecture.

A beautiful completion to some ambitious showboating to an audience of none ...except for the clumps of hair that suddenly fell down in front of her – as a delayed result of the narrow slicing, part of the front-end bangs of hair on Mai's head took the impact in exchange for her face being left unscarred.

"Uhh~!" Mai was naturally fazed – even the slightest of haircuts was not necessary in her eyes, and it kind of unnerved her how close she was to having her good looks messed up ( _and not for the first time_ ).

More than unnecessary for the Shiranui icon to retaliate immediately, safe to say, as Leona was just barely moving, attempting to bring herself back up despite the blood slowly surfacing out the back of her neck off the crown of her head where she crashed into the ground.

Mai began to think... " _She's down, but not out – I guess I really shouldn't be surprised... one more big move, here's to hoping that's all it's gonna take._ " Her hands were brought into one position again, index and middle fingers together as she returned to the flames of her inner soul in preparation for hopefully the end of the bout.

Leona had finally managed to get back onto her own two feet, glaring with motivated intention as she saw the beauty of a phoenix flourish through the aura of flame – it turns out a lot of burning passion can come out of a big-breasted beauty, a lot more than expected, and a good half of the pavilion was soaked in Mai's firestorm.

Leona stood there in place for what felt like ages in witness to the power in front of her. In the rare instances in the past where they met in previous _King of Fighters_ tournaments, she hadn't seen much of anything quite like this. A thousand possible scenarios encircled her mind, and a very small amount of them truly ensured success. At this point, she was up to anything as long as it was optimal for success.

But then _abruptly_ , the blazing fall of dragon ember soared straight down on where Leona stood, separating itself from where Mai stood as she stared straight ahead at the explosive destruction, and the splash of fire spreading out all over the place as a result of her chaotic ninjutsu. So much of a spread of flame ensued in the attack that a cloud of soot and dust eventually submerged the entire pavilion – it was with relief there were plenty of open spaces or else carbon monoxide poisoning would be a bitch to endure.

Coughing a bit as the spread of dark dust came through past her, Mai could barely make out anything besides a silhouette in the distance through the smoke, looking a bit slumped over.

But then it lunged in closer – and then suddenly she felt as though she got stabbed in the gut. With fireworks.

As the clouds of black vanished into the wind, an image of the opponents came clear – Leona's fist was buried not so much _within_ but absolutely deep _against_ Mai's stomach, crackling with her own destructive energy, popping and burning like fireworks before she separated, the temporary tints of red fading away from her blue hair.

" _Sayonara._ "

Mai's body basically combusted from the inside out – thankfully it didn't do anything gruesome beyond blasting her soul with so much overwhelming power that it quickly rendered her unconscious before she even fell to the ground. Smoke fizzled out of her mouth, and her eyes glazed over, as the badly burnt kunoichi flopped to her knees, and then onto her stomach on the ground.

Standing away from the explosion, as flinchless as a statue throughout, Leona stood tall – though black singed patches laced around her body and clothing here and there from the towering blaze coming down, she still maintained her stoic professionalism in a closing stance, only _then_ finding time to look back at the prone body of Mai.

"I know my place," said Leona. "You should know yours."

**WINNER: Leona Heidern**

* * *

The exhaust of the climactic finish spread wild if increasingly thin due to the clear wind. You could barely go through any part of the scenery around the mansion without getting less than the slightest whiff of that bitter, burnt smell.

No more different in the open-windowed garden room fairly far from the now-completed bout's combat zone, where Nakoruru heard and _felt_ the aftershock of the explosive finish of the Leona/Mai match – once the smell of smoke started to crawl close into the room she graced, she closed a couple of the open windows.

It was almost frightening, sticking around in a locale so filled with consistent combat. It felt like a warzone even where she stood. She just wanted to tend to the flowers and plants decorating the room – her and Hotaru, who was more than willing to share the admiration of the natural essence.

The Juu-kei fighter noticed, "Are you okay there?"

"I am," Nakoruru said, maintaining a peaceful mind. "Still trying to get used to the possibilities of the tournament. Right out of the corner of your eye, you could see it – another pair of souls fighting for their life."

Hotaru glanced out towards the window, and the far sight of the mountain of smoke dissipating away in that pavilion over there. Even the screens in the few corners of the room were blasted with dark grayness, almost taking some of the shockwave of the discharged elements at the climax of the now-completed fight.

"I see your point – it's kinda terrifying even just watching it," Hotaru said as she tried to focus back on the blooming plants. "I suppose the spirit of competition, and the feeling of victory is truly what keeps most of us going." When she thought about it, she was fine off having lost in the first round, just like the nature warrior beside her.

Nako looked down at the pretty colors of the flowers before her. "It's fine, though. Nature helps me keep close to where I belong mentally. I'd really love to bring Love Heart along to these places more often, but... right now she seems to be having some trouble, so I've heard."

Hotaru tended to another plant as she listened. "Well, I'm sure she'll figure—"

_Thunk-clang~!_

"...things... out..." Hotaru's eyes narrowed towards the door of the room.

Out from the corner of the room, Mamahaha let out an alerting cry before fluttering off and onto the arm of Nako, who joined her fellow peaceful fighter in looking out for danger.

" _Ugh... too heavy..._ " After a moment of patient observation, it was discovered just what was causing a brief ruckus out of the girls' focus.

Malin's form slowly entered the view from within the entry of the sunroom, having some obvious trouble with a bag that was particularly heavy for someone of her stature. Hell, it looked almost taller than she was, and she was a fairly short girl to begin with.

It took a moment too long for her to eventually notice Nakoruru and Hotaru looking on from the other side of the double-doors of the room. "Oh... hey there," she eventually greeted.

"Uhhh... 'Malin', is it?" Hotaru looked willing for assistance. "Do you need any help with that?"

"No," Malin strained, again tugging on the bag that she wound up having to drag it across the floor. "I'm good – _really_..."

"That doesn't exactly look helpful for your back, carrying such weight," noted Nako. "Sometimes a little aid can go a long w—"

Midway through Nako speaking, Mamahaha crowed out another brief squawk, suspiciously peering out against Malin all the while – and Nakoruru took quick notice.

"Ohh~? Do you sense something, Mamahaha? Is it something relating to her?"

Seeing Nakoruru briefly gesture towards her, Malin's approach to conversation grew slightly panicked. "Oh _nononono_ there's nothing to sense here – just a girl dealing with too much baggage on her hands!"

The blonde hooligan took in a full lift up of the bag from the side, and the struggle somehow willed the zipper across the bag to split open partway.

Cue a shiny gold sword plopping out from the unzipped opening, clanging right out between where Malin stood and where Nako and Hotaru were. Silence fell and laid there between the three for an unbearably long time.

…

"Uhhhhhhhh _panic mode!_ "

Shoving a hand into the pouch on her belt, Malin was forced to improvise a quick escape, as she suddenly tossed something out onto the floor – which quickly turned out to be a smoke bomb that blocked out the sight in the doorway, and forced Hotaru and Nakoruru.

When it cleared a moment later, Malin was gone, as was the bag and the suspicious sword. Even though she escaped, she still left behind something for the other girls to think on.

Hotaru began to ask, "You don't think that was Love's...?"

Nakoruru reluctantly nodded. "Yes – I'm afraid it was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Malin's back into some sort of focus, clearly in kahoots with Jenet from the looks of things and the evidence exposed. Ahead of you speculating, though, know it's gonna be a few chapters before we see more of either boisterous blonde. Meanwhile...
> 
> Next Chapter: Things have started heating out with the turnout of the previous bout – next time, two of the most seductive babes remaining in the running engage in combat!


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